Zero 2: Side Stories
by Ultra Sonic 007
Summary: [A Collection of Side Stories] Cody tries so hard to be reliable. Why? And also, a quick look at how a certain teen wishes to apologize to his little brother. Please read and review!
1. Phantom Limb

Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.

Author's Notes: YAAAR! We are now into Side Stories! Here I can post all the nifty little ficlets and drabbles I want. :3

Anyhow, the first chapter…will be a bit of surprise I'm sure, as it's one I've wanted to do for some time. Just a little taste of what you can expect from Side Stories; pretty much a little of everything.

**_NOTE TO NEW READERS_**: I **HIGHLY** suggest you read through Revision, Housemates, Battle of the Shinobi, and the Comeback Tour first. These chapters will be set at various points in time, but it's IMPORTANT to read those four first! I've got over three years of story background here, and you need to read up. :-.

Before each chapter, I will specify the general time period, so you all have a point of reference. Also, on occasion, I'll put up goofy little shorts before the main chapter itself.

In any case, let us begin!

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_**Zero 2: Side Stories**_

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Chapter 1: Phantom Limb

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/**TIME**: DURING **HOUSEMATES**/

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My left arm shouldn't hurt.

After all, it's gone.

I was always trying to be a good mother, even though I'm not his real mother…

Oh, what a worried woman I sound like.

I can remember everything clearly now; I have no idea why the memories of the Odaiba Fog Incident faded away; it was only when Gennai began explaining everything to us in that old warehouse…that was when the fuzziness faded away, leaving total clarity.

The fog. The battles.

The confession.

Oh my dear brainy boy, you've no idea how much I worry about you.

Izzy…I always dreaded telling you the truth. So did Masami. We didn't know how you'd react if we told you that we weren't your real parents…that Masami was actually a distant cousin of your real father…that your real parents had died in a car accident…

In hindsight, we probably should've seen the signs that you knew. But we never can truly know, can we? We were worried when you starting getting into computers all the time…never leaving time for anything else save for school, us…and that's all. We didn't stop to think that you had actually learned the truth…

Oh, when I found out that you knew, I felt horrible inside. I chided myself; what kind of mother can't tell what her own son is thinking? That only reminded me that I couldn't tell _because_ I wasn't your real mother…

Even though we've been watching over you since you were a cute little baby…the thought of losing your love…it's unbearable.

I suppose my missing arm is a lot like the truth of your parents…invisible, not seen. Yet the pain behind it…it's still there.

I can barely remember what the doctor had said about my arm after he took a look at it after the Odaiba War. Something about "input from my left arm to my right somatosensory cortex being stopped" and other fancy medical terms that people have no business making so long or complex. Even when Izzy tried to explain it to me on the way home, I couldn't get it. I got "phantom limb", and that's all.

Oh Izzy…so smart. You are called the Child of Knowledge after all, aren't you?

Such a smart boy should be worrying about what he's going to be doing with his friends, or what he has to do for homework at night. He shouldn't have to worry about saving the world.

The Odaiba War…

I never would've imagined that such a hellish scene could've existed…fire stretching up for miles…monsters, demons, creatures of all shapes and sizes fighting one another…so much…carnage…

I can barely remember it now. The shock must have smudged so much of it…

I remember…policemen…other people, trying to make it to the Fuji TV Station…and then came…ghosts…Bakemon, I believe they were called. Gunfire…trying to fight them off…one broke through, tried to eat me…only got my left arm…

Blood.

Lots of blood.

Everything else is a blur; I faintly remember arriving there…being bandaged…screaming…

The next coherent memory I have is seeing Masami.

I also remember the look on your face, my son. When you saw me without my left arm? Seeing you cry…calling me "mom"…somehow, that made me happy. It reminded me…that even though you're not our son…you're still our son.

Does that even make sense? I'm trying to stir-fry some rice for dinner, and I'm in such a rambling mood. My thoughts vary wildly sometimes nowadays; it's kind of funny. 'Not our son, yet still our son'…oh, goodness, I'm giggling now. I can feel the awkward stares of Masami and Izzy now, staring at my back as I giggle. I'll keep them guessing.

Cooking is hard with only arm. It takes so much longer…and it always reminds you of how limited you now are. Not many people realize how much you use your hands, let alone your arms. It's like a piece of me is missing. I am an incomplete puzzle.

The strange pain comes. It always comes at strange times, my phantom limb…you'd think it wouldn't happen. But it does.

I impulsively clutch my right shoulder…well, what's left of it. The pan begins to fall, and I fret. I know it's going to cause a mess, and I know it's going to cause them to help me clean up, and I know it's going to cause pitying stares…those eyes of pity hurt. I don't like being reminded of how weak I am.

Then I see two young hands catch the pan by its insulated handle, warily lifting it back up onto the stove.

I smile at my boy, who's asking me if I'm okay.

I smile at my husband, who gets up from the dinner table and starts cooking the rest of the rice.

I offer to get the plates out. They try and convince me to sit down, but I politely decline. I always do.

Just seeing them get up and help me…just seeing them care…it's enough to make me endure this phantom limb of mine.

I may be an incomplete puzzle…but one of my other pieces has grown enough to fill enough space for two pieces.

It's my heart. And it always swells when I see them care.

Even though Izzy isn't linked to us by blood, he is our son.

And no amount of pain – invisible or otherwise – will change that.

That thought always brings a smile to my face.

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To be continued…

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Author's Notes: I believe this is the first time I've written in a 1st-person POV since **_Fiery Courage, Stormy Friendship_**. How'd I do?

In case none of you have realized it by know, the one 'speaking' in this chapter is Yoshie. I've wanted to fully highlight her thoughts about this phantom limb of hers for some time now, but never had the proper place to put it.

And in case you're wondering why there's no name for the next chapter, it's because I'll decide what I want to write whenever I update again. This is a free flowing story…or, to be more accurate, a collection of stories.

This chapter was set during Housemates (and that story focused almost entirely on Davis and Jun's becoming part of the Inoue family).

See you soon, and please review!

(jumps to start work on Crisis)


	2. This Title's Too Long!

Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.

Author's Notes: GAH! Got hit by a super roadblock in FFX-3, and I need to vent some stress. Hopefully this quickie chapter will suffice me.

No review replies this time, cause I'm feeling rather ticked right now by this block. ):(

Begin!

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Chapter 2: The Beginning of a Battle's Never-Ending Renewal that Always Returns and Refuses to Die…

OR

This Title's Too Long!

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/**TIME**: BETWEEN **COMEBACK TOUR** AND **TAMERS**/

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/Tori Park, Platform 1, Odaiba, Sunday, October 2nd, 12:01 PM/

Jun Inoue couldn't help but feel a sense of giddiness over the events that had just transpired. She had a partner. An honest-to-goodness partner!

As she walked through the grass of Tori Park, her long white skirt and red T-shirt rippling in the wind, her attention turned to the large Digimon walking behind her. "So, how are you doing?"

The muscular warrior looked down at Jun with eyes of clear jade, filled with wisdom and honor. His wild, yellow mane flowed in the wind as well, yet he stood there unmoving. "Just fine, considering."

I would describe his black denim pants and the big sword he had, but you practically know what Leomon looks by now anyway. So I won't waste any more space.

Yes; Leomon was Jun's partner.

The older sister of Davis grinned with delight; this was awesome! She had a downright AWESOME Digimon for a partner! It was Leomon, a mighty warrior that had helped the Digidestined on many occasions. To have him as her partner…hoo, it gave her a rush!

It had been so sudden too; just yesterday, all of a sudden, a digivice materialized out of the family computer, landing RIGHT in her hands (which was something else, considering she had been twenty feet away from the computer at the time). Moments later, Leomon had materialized outside in the Inoue family's living room!

Leomon had been noticeably bewildered at the fact he was in a human home in the Real World instead of traversing the continent of Folder. But it hadn't taken long for news to spread throughout Destiny Haven that Jun's partner was Leomon (after all, the Digidestined and their partners held a great deal of reverence for the mighty warrior). The thing that excited her most was the fact that with a partner, she'd able to help out in battle. No more standing on the sidelines! No more letting her little brother hog all the glory!

Okay, so maybe she was on an egotistical rush after discovering that her partner was the manifestation of awesomeness known as Leomon, but she couldn't help it; her brother – Davis Inoue, leader of the New Digidestined – had been a complete asset to the team, taking charge in many of their battles. For two who had been a part of a sibling rivalry for so long, it was only natural for Jun to be a bit frustrated over the fact that Davis was consistently one-upping her in nearly every category. That was why she was so EXCITED!

Yeah, you can practically tell that she's giddy with joy. I don't even need to let her talk! But that would be boring, so I'll let her talk anyway.

"I can't wait to show Jim!"

Leomon sweatdropped at the exuberance of Jun. _I'm not just a showpiece._ He sighed quietly; he could tell that she was merely excited. He did not have a lot of experience when dealing with human teenagers outside of his contact with the Digidestined, but he had quickly gathered that female teens were very…excitable.

_Oh well, I don't have any legitimate reason to complain._ Leomon felt a sense of contentment nevertheless; although he had always enjoyed his life as a wandering warrior, a life as the partner of a human – a sister of a Digidestined, no less – wouldn't be so bad. Especially considering that he lived in the same building with so many legendary warriors.

"So who is Jim?" asked Leomon.

"Joe's older brother," replied Jun. With a happy blush, she added, "And my B.F.!"

Leomon blinked. "B…F…?"

"Boyfriend!"

Leomon sweatdropped. "Ah."

Yes, he definitely had a lot of adjusting to do in the near future.

"Ooh, there he is!" exclaimed the girl, her dull cherry-pink hair fluttering in the wind (man, it was sure windy today). She pointed excitedly towards a bench underneath a large evergreen tree; a pine, to be precise. On that bench was a young, blue-haired man wearing a thick brown jacket of hardy leather and gray sweatpants. After all, it was autumn; it was only going to get colder. And before you ask why Jun isn't cold, she's too excited to care. Is it to her folly? Most likely. But who cares? "Oh Jiiim!"

The bespectacled junior undergraduate stood up, blinking at the sight of Leomon. "You…have a partner too?"

Jun giggled with glee. "Yup! Why do you think I was so excited when I called and asked for us to meet today?"

She suddenly hit a snag. Not her own snag…but Jim's. Specifically, his words.

"'Too'…?" Jun blinked as she stared at her boyfriend. "Do you…have a digivice?"

Jim reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a digivice. "Yeah. Got it last night. Came out of my dorm room computer, followed by my partner." He grimaced at the thought of his partner. "And I have to say…I don't quite know what to think exactly…"

"What do you mean?" asked Jun out of confusion.

Leomon's nose twitched.

_That scent!_

"**LEOMON!"**

Leomon impulsively grabbed his blade and raised it. He was just in time; the bony club was just about to smash his head.

"AAAH!" shrieked Jun at the sight of the big ugly green thing that had just leapt out of the pine. "WHO IS THAT?"

Leomon glared into the purple eyes of his opponent. "Ogremon! What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same thing, but who cares?" roared the green Champion. "All that matters is that you're here! And we can continue our fated battle!"

"So we shall!" roared Leomon as his arms tensed, using his strength to push Ogremon away. The bipedal lion roared as he reared his left fist.

Ogremon recognized what was coming, and he pulled his left fist back as well.

"FIST OF THE-"

"PUMMEL-"

"**HOLD IT!"**

Leomon and Ogremon both stopped. Jun and Jim had yelled simultaneously.

Jun grimaced out of exasperation. "What…is going on? Why are you fighting?"

Leomon replied, "Ogremon and I have been rivals for years. Decades. Centuries. Every battle has resulted in a tie."

"And we are fated to battle to the death!" finished Ogremon as he clenched his club. "So don't get in our way!"

"Why do you have to battle to the death?" asked Jim, wondering what kind of grudge would force the two to fight for so long.

Their answer had both Jim and Jun facefaulting.

"We can't remember."

Cue the facefaulting!

"THEN WHY FIGHT?" roared Jun.

"It's a matter of honor now," said Ogremon as he kept his gaze on Leomon. "I won't rest until I am victorious!"

"For once, Ogremon has a point." Leomon held his blade forward. "I am glad that you have been reborn, and I haven't forgotten how you helped the Digidestined…but we still have a score to settle. Until then…you'd best be on your guard."

Ogremon chuckled. "Best not give me advice when you should save it for yourself. After all, who knows when I might **_PUMMEL WHACK!_**"

Leomon blanched at the suddenness of Ogremon's assault. _Trickery!_ He raised his sword, slashing through the burst of purple energy. Less than a second later, he rolled to the side, barely dodging Ogremon's overhead swing.

"Get back here Leomon!" roared Ogremon, swinging his club ferociously.

"Gladly!" snarled Leomon as he raised his sword, engaging in a duel with his long-time rival.

And all the while, Jun and Jim (along with several innocent bystanders who were either confused by the whole affair or were simply enjoying the show) just stared.

Finally, Jim muttered, "Jun?"

"Yes?"

"Those guys, from what I can tell, are rivals."

"Yep."

"BEYOND rivals."

"Uh-huh."

"And since we're boyfriend and girlfriend…"

"Yeah?"

"…and since we go to the same university…"

"True…"

"…we'll be seeing each other a lot…"

"…oh…"

Jim sighed with remorse as Ogremon left a large dent in the ground with his club. "Which means those two will be doing this sort of thing all the time."

Jun sweatdropped. "Well…uh…at least…um…ah never mind, I can't think of anything positive to say right now."

"Exactly." Jim's eyebrow impulsively twitched. _Well…things sure are going to be 'interesting'…_

"PUMMEL WHACK!"

"FIST OF THE BEAST KING!"

Jim sweatdropped as the two blasts collided and cancelled each other out, causing a miniature shockwave. _Then again, if they're going to do this every time we meet, "Dr. Jim" will be needing his own doctor…_

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To be continued…

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Author's Notes: Ogremon's back! He hasn't appeared since Episode 18 of Revision (yes, it's been that long!) where he got eaten by Alienmon.

Ah, I feel better now. I need to update SOMETHING every once in a while, or else I'll go nutty. And FFX-3 hasn't been updated since September 1st, which is why I was so upset at the beginning.

But this little humor chapter – which sets up very interesting situations in the near future – cheered me up. That's the great thing about Side Stories; if I ever get stuck in another story, and I can just vent by writing short stories that only take me a day or two to write. :3

And the concept itself is just perfect.

Jun and Jim are boyfriend and girlfriend.

Leomon and Ogremon are RIVALS.

Leomon is Jun's partner.

Ogremon is Jim's partner (which is hilarious in and of itself).

Now what happens if Jim and Jun go out on a date?

I'll let you guys think about it. :P

See you soon, and please review!


	3. Forgiveness

Standard Disclaimer: Idon'townDigimonToeidoes! (ZOOM!)

Author's Notes: Short stories means a short disclaimer. O.o

Anyhow, college is going fine. But it's cutting into story time. -.-

But I am going on!

Begin!

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Chapter 3: Forgiveness

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/**TIME**: BETWEEN **HOUSEMATES** AND **BATTLE OF THE SHINOBI**/

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You know, I can understand why people call me stupid. I mean, my grades AREN'T the best…but come on! I may not have the best report card, or get straight A's like SOME people, but I'm not stupid. That's downright insulting! Anyway…where was I? Uh…oh yeah!

Anyhow, Ken Ichijouji. Former Digimon Emperor. Bad guy, right? Yeah…the Digimon Emperor was a MAJOR bad guy. He enslaved a lot of Digimon, and he basically caused terror wherever he went.

Let's think about it.

Control Spires…Dark Rings and Dark Spirals…secret base…just a lot of bad things. Heck, he nuked a town just to try and kill Shaun! I mean…dude. That's just mean.

And using our partners to create a super Ultimate Digimon was just low.

But you know what? There are some things that can just change your opinion.

For me, there were two thirds to the whole thing…no wait, I mean two halves. See? I told you I don't like math!

Anyhow…

It was after the defeat of Chimeramon. We Digidestined were feeling AWESOME. We had just beaten the Emperor! His base had been knocked out of the sky, and my partner had TOTALLY kicked butt as Magnamon! I had to congratulate him!

But when I got there, I saw Shaun holding my partner…and the Emperor.

I was going to give him a piece of my mind. After all, he deserved it, right?

Then…I saw tears.

Tears? From _this_ guy?

And he wanted to be left alone, and just left for the Real World.

I mean…that was just unbelievable. The Digimon Emperor, Ken Ichijouji…crying. Showing emotion…human emotion?

It was kind of weird.

But I had to say that Shaun put it best; Wormmon had been killed by Chimeramon. Ken's partner had been killed by his own creation. That has to be…man, I don't want to think about it anymore than I have to. It hurts.

But the clincher?

Ken went out of his way to help us after that.

He neutralized the Control Spires, allowing our partners to digivolve even though they still stood. He helped us in the ensuing fights against UmbraDevimon and his stupid cronies! And at File Island, where we found out about Demon and the Dark Spore, and what had happened to him…it wouldn't be until some time after that when he would get comfortable enough to tell us everything.

Sam. The Dark Spore. His slow descent, eventually becoming the Emperor…

You can't help but pity a guy like that.

But we didn't know about any of this when he came to us on October 14th.

He had his partner with him (which made me happy), and he asked for forgiveness. He wanted to make up for what he'd done.

Sounds reasonable, huh? I sure thought so.

Now, the others thought that I was kind of stupid for offering him a second chance. I mean, he DID trick us before (though Shaun and Kari backed me up…though Shaun was from the future and already knew that Ken was supposed to start helping us, and since that's kind of like cheating, he doesn't count. Sorry man.)

But you know what?

After I saw him crying that day, in that desert in 01-000-ALPHA…just the look in his eyes. The look of unbearable sadness and regret.

You just can't fake that kind of look. You just can't!

And when he came offering help…I recognized another look in his eyes.

It was as if he were begging. He was BEGGING us for a second chance. I can't just deny someone that! Not when I've had that look on so many time's before!

I mean…I'm not perfect. I like to think I am sometimes…but I'm not. Oh man, no…in any case…I'm not perfect. I've made plenty of mistakes. I've had to say sorry a lot. I've had to ask for forgiveness a lot.

Sometimes I didn't get it. But a lot of times, I did.

And that's the whole point!

We've ALL had to ask for forgiveness sometimes. I mean, even TQ's had to ask for forgiveness too! He's not Mr. Perfect.

So who am I to deny someone who truly wants forgiveness? For someone who REAAAALLY needs a second chance? What kind of guy would I be?

I'd be a hypocrite, that's for sure. I mean…I've been forgiven before. So shouldn't I forgive too?

Ooh, that sounds good! I'd better write that one down.

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And for your enjoyment, a little crackfic…

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Chapter 3.5: Impmon Watches FLCL

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/**TIME**: BETWEEN **BATTLE OF THE SHINOBI** AND **THE COMEBACK TOUR**/

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/Daichi's Room, Etsuya Apartment, Odaiba, Thursday, January 13th, 3:21 PM/

In Daichi Etsuya's mess of a room, Impmon was going through an old anime DVD collection. "Say, kid. Youse got anything interestin' ta watch?"

Daichi glanced at Impmon with bored yellow eyes as he put on a jacket. "I don't know. You decide."

"Bah, joykill." The purple Rookie pulled out case after case until he noticed that Daichi was leaving. "Where're youse going?"

"Davis invited me to a Teenage Wolves concert tonight. Normally I'd decline, but he said he'd be able to get me and the rest of his friends some free food backstage. And since I'm not one to turn down anything free…you wanna come? It doesn't start till eight o'clock."

"Eh, don't feel like it." Impmon grumbled as started digging through the messy pile of DVD cases. "Free food sounds tempting…but if I have ta go through a stupid concert sung by Backstreet Boy knockoffs."

Daichi sweatdropped. _I'll make sure to tell them that._ "Well…see ya."

"Yeah, whatever," answered Impmon as the door closed. "Hmm? What's this…'_Eff Ell See Ell_'?" The Rookie frowned…and then shrugged. "Eh, oh well."

So he grabbed the two cases that had 'FLCL' on them and turned on the DVD player.

/Roughly 3 Hours and Six Episodes Later/

Impmon was silent as the credits finished rolling.

Aside from the sudden urge to buy a Vespa (or steal one), he had an idea.

He quickly opened the window and leapt from rooftop to rooftop. Destination? The school.

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/Daichi's Room, Etsuya Apartment, Odaiba, 8:15 PM/

"Man, what a waste of time," grumbled Daichi as walked into his room. "Can't believe Mr. Lead Singer couldn't even find his guitar! How does he lose track of that? Hey Impmon, I'm home."

Daichi suddenly noticed Impmon sitting on the bed. "Impmon?"

He suddenly noticed the silhouette of an electric guitar in the dim room. A FAMILIAR electric guitar.

Daichi sighed as he turned on the lights. "Okay Impmon…why did you steal Matt's instrument?"

Impmon said nothing. He just said got to his feet, holding the electric guitar…like a baseball bat?

"Uh…Impmon?"

"_**FOOLY COOLY!"**_

_**BAAAAAAAAARRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!**_

Daichi's vision exploded into stars as he toppled over, his cranium ringing as the electric guitar struck his head.

Impmon fell beside Daichi and grabbed his partner's (bleeding) head. "Okay ya stupid Kanti robot guy! Come on out! I wanna see how tough youse really are!"

Silence.

"…uh…why won't youse come out?"

Silence. Impmon finally noticed the bleeding coming from his partner's head.

"…uh oh."

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/NEXT DAY AT THE SCHOOL!/

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"Daichi? Hey, you found my guitar! Awesome!"

"No problem…"

"…dude. What happened to your head?"

"Don't ask."

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To be continued…

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Author's Notes: Mwhehehehe. Just had an idea one day for Impmon to do that. :3

See you soon, and please review!

EDIT: To those who have no idea what "FLCL" is, it is a six-part anime series by Gainax and Production I.G. For more info, go here.

en(dot)wikipedia(dot)org/wiki/FLCL

It'd be best if you watched all six episodes. That's the only way you'll get the guitar reference. Just go to Google Videos and search for 'FLCL episodes'. Watch all six.

You won't regret it. FLCL is just...weird. And cool. It's something different, that's for sure. And don't worry if it doesn't make sense; I don't think it's supposed to. XD

And Yamimaru: Yes, I know. But you're talking to the guy who opted for Power Rangers over Super Sentai, remember? o.-

Edit2: Also, in case anyone couldn't tell, the person speaking in 'Forgiveness' is Davis.


	4. Where Do Babies Come From?

Standard Disclaimer: I shouldn't have to tell you again…but I shall. I don't own Digimon!

Author's Notes: Huh. It's dusty in here. Haven't had much inspiration for Side Stories lately…luckily, last chapter of Crisis gave me one. ;D

This should sate you all over until I finish the next chapter of Naruto. Then it's back to Crisis!

Begin!

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Chapter 4: Where Do Babies Come From?

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/**TIME**: BEFORE **REVISION**/

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/Living Room, Motomiya Apartment, Wednesday, October 29th, 2003, 5:09 PM/

The year was 2003.

An 11-year old Davis Motomiya and a 17-year old Jun Motomiya quietly sat on the couch, watching the television. It was a rather ordinary Wednesday, school was in full swing, and Jun was nibbling on a pencil as she read from her Trigonometry book (while watching TV…well, multitasking IS a nifty talent). Davis just seemed to sag against the couch; he felt rather beat after a particularly rough after-school soccer practice meet.

His eyes narrowed for a moment as he saw a commercial for baby candy (candy FOR babies, not candy MADE of babies! Japanese are weird, but they're not cannibals.); a thought that he had been wondering about for some time had just crossed his mind. "Jun?"

"Yeah?" replied an uninterested Jun, her tone suggesting a lack of attention to whatever Davis was about to say.

"Where do babies come from?"

Jun bit through her pencil. "…what…?"

"…where do babies come from?"

The elder sibling quickly pointed toward the kitchen, where Anzu and Hiroto Motomiya were making dinner. "Ask them. Hopefully, you'll suffer less than I did."

Davis blinked as Jun involuntarily shivered. "Whatever." He calmly sauntered into the kitchen, looking at his parents as the busied about with dinner. Without bothering to call their names, he asked, "Where do babies come from?"

They both froze.

It was "The Question".

The one that all parents feared.

Anzu and Hiroto glanced at a confused Davis momentarily before huddling up on the opposite side of the kitchen. "Okay dear, what do we do?"

"Hmm…" Hiroto suggested, "We could let him ask his friends at school!"

"We tried that approach with Jun, and it didn't turn out well."

"…"

Anzu sighed. "Remember? Jun came with the **_video_**? From that 9th grade Souma girl?"

Hiroto froze. "Oh yes…we had no idea how to tell her, so we had her ask her fellow students at school." Mr. Motomiya froze at the memory of Jun coming home with a seemingly innocuous video. The next day, the 12-year old had thrown the tape at the two of them and called them names. "She called us 'weirdoes'…" Hiroto's head sagged. "Curse that Mitsuko Souma! I'm glad she got transferred to a school in Kanagawa!"

"Remember? We started preparing for this day…" Anzu glanced over at an old closet in the hallway. "In **there**."

Hiroto's eyes widened. He remembered what was in that conclusion. "There…?"

Anzu nodded. "Yes."

Hiroto became determined. "Yes…that is what we will do. That is what we MUST do!"

Davis blinked. _What are they talking about?_

"DAVIS!"

Davis yelped as his parents suddenly whirled around, their eyes gleaming. "Wait for us in our bedroom. We have…to get some things."

Moments later, Davis blinked as he was roughly shoved into his parents' bedroom. "Sheesh…pushy." The young child sighed as he sat on the cushy bed, deciding to wait until his parents came. It was just a simple question; why would it be difficult to answer? _And I'm NOT going for the stork angle. That's just stupid._

Minutes later…

Davis frowned as his mother and father walked into the bedroom, setting down books, charts, and pictures detailed with scientific notes. As they put some of the charts on stands, the young boy asked, "Uh…what is all this for?"

"The science behind reproduction is a very involved endeavor son!" exclaimed Anzu.

"…'reepro-duck-shin'? Eh?"

Hiroto's eyes gleamed as he boisterously stated, "Baby-making is a serious business. We're here to educate!"

"Let us educate you Davis on…" Anzu tapped a chart showing a human body, its skin removed to reveal the inner organs. "THE BIRDS AND THE BEES!"

"…mom…I want to talk about babies. Not birds and bees."

Hiroto sighed. "We don't know why people call it that. It's just a title…in either case…shall we begin honey?"

Anzu smiled. "Yes!"

"OKAY!" roared Hiroto as he opened a red book. "Okay Davis, when a man and a woman love each other very much…"

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NEXT DAY!

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/Hallway, Odaiba School, Odaiba, Thursday, October 30th, 7:51 AM/

Kari Kamiya quietly walked through the busy hallways of Odaiba School; morning 'rush hour' was always a pain to navigate. She narrowly dodged an incoming stampede of 12th graders before making it to the Middle School lockers. "Hmm…oh?" Her familiar eyes of reddish amber caught an old friend. "Davis! Hello!"

Davis Motomiya suddenly froze. He quietly turned towards Kari, who innocently asked, "So. Ready for today's algebra test?"

She got no answer. Well, not a verbal one, anyway.

Instead, Davis's face just reddened like a tomato before he sheepishly backed away, not saying a thing.

Kari blinked. "Davis?" _Huh. Is he okay?_

Let's just say it would take a few weeks for Davis to look at Kari again without blushing up a storm.

It would take him two months until he could talk to her again without stuttering like a fool.

Congratulations, Birds and the Bees…you've traumatized another victim.

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To be continued…

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Author's Notes: Short. But it kind of elaborates on Davis's reaction to the OTHER Davis and Kari in that alternate universe in the most recent chapter of Crisis.

I made a nifty little reference to a rather well-known manga/novel/film. First one to guess it gets a free non-existent cookie.

Just a little ditty to tide you all over until I can finish the next chapter of Naruto. Then it's back to Crisis!

And you know what that means! More fan characters. More alternate universes! More Darkheart. :D

See you soon, and please review!


	5. Of Darkness and Light

Standard Disclaimer: Chuucho baka that's a dooze! NO ONE OWNS DIGIMON ANYMORE!!!

Author's Notes: Bah. Being a beta-reader is tiring. I haven't even started on the next chapter of Crisis yet. I know, I know, put down the bricks. Meh…I should have Crisis updated by sometime next week, college permitting.

Fortunately, this is why Side Stories exists.

And today's chapter was inspired by a current discussion about darkness and light in my Zero 2 forum, inside the thread "Plot Twists and Characters".

Begin!

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Chapter 5: Of Darkness and Light

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/**TIME**: BETWEEN **COMEBACK TOUR** AND **TAMERS**/

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/Dragomon's Palace, City of Cthulu, Dark World, June 6th, 2005, 7:00 PM/

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

The sound of trickling water permeated everything in Cthulu.

Dragomon quietly sauntered through his dank and murky palace, the dark moisture clinging to everything. A cold chill permeated about the entire city, as much a result of the world's darkness as it was a result of his mere presence.

Dragomon. The absolute epitome of darkness. An incarnation of light's complete absence.

A physical impossibility, some might say. To be absent of light completely would mean to be absent of all electromagnetic radiation: this included infrared and ultraviolet light, much less visible light. To be devoid of electromagnetic radiation on all wavelengths…such a thing was physically impossible. Impossible! Scientists would scoff at the very notion!

Dragomon briefly chuckled as he thought of it. _Foolish humans…such hubris they possess. Laws of physics…hmph._ Such 'laws' were revised constantly. As their understanding of the universe grew, those 'laws' always changed. "Their minds, so eager to try and grasp truth's noon…even though they barely stand its crescent moon." The human mind had so many limitations…at least when it was conscious.

Unconsciously? The mind was capable of understanding practically anything…without the bounds of the human body, the mind could spawn ways of thinking that would revolutionize the world. Alas, they were blind to truth…to reality. Forces beyond human comprehension were at play throughout the entire universe; Dragomon realized this and accepted it as a part of life.

After all, he – like the Dark World and everything in it – had been spawned from the darkness and evil of human nightmares. Nightmares and dreams, home to the thoughts of a mind unleashed. Such nightmares gave rise to beings like him…one who could understand darkness in all of its power. A shame that so many maligned it by calling darkness 'evil'.

Dragomon sighed as he stood outside his palace, looking at the Deadmon trudging through the city. _Pitiful creatures…losing all will and hope, surrendering themselves as they die…borne from darkness, living in darkness…minds too feeble to fully withstand it._ That was part of what caused such misunderstanding about darkness. Humans, who clung so tightly to the light, saw darkness as 'evil'.

Far from it.

He quietly flapped his leathery bat-like wings, effortlessly ascending above Cthulu and through the dark clouds. Minutes later, he finally burst through the clouds that covered the Dark World, gazing at the black sky. The only source of light – if one could call it that – was a white star, blazing and shining as it futilely tried to break through the darkness of this world. The Dark Lord frowned as he felt the light touch his skin, burning at it.

It was nothing compared to the intensity of Kari Kamiya.

Dragomon chuckled as he descended once more, thinking of how the Digidestined thought of the light as good and darkness as evil. Far from it. The light…it brought warmth. But it was piercing and blinding, annihilating all that stood in its way, illuminating knowledge and truth. Darkness…brought cold. But it was gentle and soothing, encompassing everything in its grasp, erasing all fear and worry.

Light, in a way, represented individuality. With the light, one could discern…and see…and understand.

Darkness, in that same sense, represented collectivism. Within the darkness, nothing could be seen. Everyone and everything looked the same, and all desires were erased. How could one desire difference and individuality, when you had no way to define yourself?

Dragomon finally broke through the clouds again, staring at the Grecian architecture of Cthulu with red eyes. His city – existing for thousands of years, ever since the creation of the Digital World, even before Huanglongmon had split the Realm of Serenity and the Realm of Darkness into the Digital World and the Dark World – had endured many battles. Battles against the Guardian God, and battles against the other Dark Lords.

Dragomon chuckled. "Those fools…Apocalymon. Demon. Lucemon. All dead."

Apocalymon: felled by the Digidestined. In the chaos of the Digital World's creation, Digimon were born and destroyed constantly during the havoc. In the time between the Digiworld's birth and the creation of the Realm of Serenity and the Realm of Darkness, almost all the Digimon that were born ended up dying. Those who survived long enough to digivolve ended up dying in the process, so chaotic was the Digital World. Finally, as the computer networks of the Real World become more interconnected, the Digital World began to order itself, splitting into the two realms…Huanglongmon, Guardian God, was the first born into Serenity. Into Darkness was born the Dark Lords Dragomon, Demon, Apocalymon, and Lucemon…and it was Apocalymon who was formed of the Digimon that had died during digivolution. As such, his loneliness and sorrow corrupted his dark powers…becoming evil in essence. _The fool. His darkness was great…yet his loneliness warped it into something lesser…into evil. Pitiful._

Demon: felled by the Digidestined. A powerful Mega Digimon…but one whose lust for power and domination was tremendous. _His ambition was as great as any human's…a powerful being of darkness…but more evil than dark._

Lucemon: the first Dark Lord to succumb to death…and by Dragomon's own hand. He had been an interesting foe; although a Rookie-level Digimon, his power had been great enough that he could stand on an equal level Demon, Apocalymon, and himself. It was probably due to the fact that he had managed to retain some data from the Realm of Serenity before being born in the Realm of Darkness; he was capable of utilizing both light and dark energy. Continued experimentation with his power had enabled Lucemon to digivolve to his Ultimate form, Lucemon Chaos Mode. The Dark Lord had then tried to assault Cthulu and destroy him utterly…oh, the idiocy of the power-mad. _Had he been more prudent, he might have been able to achieve a true fusion of the energies within him…but he was only interested in the power…and without understanding, he fell before me._

None of the other Dark Lords had been able to grasp at the essence of absolute darkness. Nor had they been able to grasp at the essence of absolute light.

"My Queen of the Light…" The squid-like monstrosity calmly returned to his palace, thinking of Kari Kamiya. Her power…her light…it was indomitable. Oh, the power she had been gifted with! _The powers that be…such forces at play in this universe…to think such an intense light had been given to one little human girl._

Dragomon could admit that he had been a fool. To think he had tried to absorb her so soon…before the Crest of Miracles unlocked her Holy Armor! He had no idea that those new Crests had existed…and that Digieggs had alternate powers. The Guardian Beasts had been cunning…but he supposed it was all due to the Kamiya child that had traveled back in time. _Shaun Kamiya…an interesting paradox you were. Had I paid more attention to your presence, I might have gleaned valuable knowledge about the future…_

Alas, the past was the past. He refused to let petty emotions and desires corrupt his darkness. His ambition to obtaining the Child of Light was not just a desire…it was a necessity.

The Ultimate calmly held up a tentacle, watching as dark energy pooled around it. "Light. Darkness. Two polar opposites…combined…they do not just get gray." Gray? Such a name did not justice to the fusion of light and darkness. Light was more than white, and Darkness was more than black. Far, far more. "Not even twilight, where the light of the sun and the darkness of night are balanced…not even twilight does such a fusion justice." Twilight implied a physical event. Preposterous! Light and darkness transcended such categorizations…spiritual, otherworldly, physically…light and darkness was both beyond and a part of such groups.

He had great patience. He could wait.

KingEtemon had recently struck Odaiba…and Kari's performance only indicated that she still had a ways to go. _Her power…it has yet to mature. I will let her be for now…_

But once the time came…once she could utilize her power at a suitable level…her Light would become his.

Darkness and Light would become one.

The universe would be unified under Dragomon's newfound power. Existence itself would transcend! Individuality and group rationale would be prominent to all who basked in the warm light and the cold darkness, yet personal desires would never corrupt; all physical limitations to perfection would be erased.

It would be a utopia the likes of which the universe had never seen.

And Dragomon would lead it.

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To be continued…

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Author's Notes: Dragomon's not what you would call a conventional villain…at least in Digimon terms. I happen to think his notion of Darkness / Evil is true on some level…though all bets are off when humans come into play. (coughDarkheartcough)

Anyhow, see you soon, and please review!


	6. Journal of a Junsacho, First Edition

Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. BUT OH IF I DID! HULK SMASH!!! RAAAAARGH!

Author's Notes: Gah. I hate college. THREE MONTHS SINCE MY LAST CRISIS UPDATE? I have sinned. I am SCUM. Bleh. Infuriating. NAUSEATING.

Okay, enough self-hate. But seriously. Progress is slow. Fan characters are the reason.

Simply put, I don't know them. I've written as the canon Digidestined and my own OCs for so long that I know their thoughts, emotions, and actions by heart, not to mention their physical appearance.

Now with over two dozen new people?

Er…

Meh, I guess I should've seen this coming. But I made a commitment, AND I SHALL TRUDGE ONWARD!

Anyhow, to make up for my uber-lateness, I give you some 1st-person writing to make you smile. ENJOY!

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Chapter 6: Journal of a Junsa-cho, First Edition

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/**TIME**: BETWEEN **REVISION** AND **COMEBACK TOUR**/

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_November 1, 2004_

_I know this seems weird…but hey, I never had a journal before._

_Anyhow, name's Wolfgang Dietz. You can call me Dietz…well, you can't, because you're a book. You don't talk. ANYWAY, big things are happening, and I am PUMPED. I am now living in America with a bunch of creatures from another world on the Internet, and they're now building a purple city on top of a mountain._

_Dude, it's like science-fiction come to life! So…it wouldn't be fiction anymore, would it? SCIENCE-REALITY!_

_That doesn't sound as good…eh, oh well._

_Did I mention how PUMPED I am?!_

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_November 22, 2004_

_Construction is going smoothly…and quickly. I'm helping out because…well, heck, I live here now. This purple paste they have is the best. Tastes like chocolate Pocky every time! Anyhow, the view is nice…though it does seem weird to look around and see a black Elitemon carry a metallic beam the size of an eighteen-wheeler. Oh yeah, those guys are strong…_

_I guess I should mention the guys I'm living with now._

_There's the Prophets. They're the head honchos; the two who are here in the city are the Prophet of Reality and the Prophet of Absolution. The other guy – I think he was Wisdom – is back in their old home in the Digital World. From what I've heard…he was very grumpy. No thanks, I've had enough of grumpy with ol' Ackerson._

_The Elitemon are like humans with four jaws, four fingers…and their feet look like hooves. Except they're not hooves. Because, you know, they have toes. ANYHOW, the four big-time Elitemon are Vula Tusa'lamee, Nola Kusulumee, Huvo Nuvonaree, and Kuvo Hutalamee. Vula is a Batallion Commander, wears gold armor, and looks really shiny. Nola is called the Grand Praetor. Don't know what that means. His armor is silver and shiny. Huvo is the commander of the special ops guys in black, and wears shiny white armor. Kuvo is head of the guys with the orange fins who protect the Prophets…and his crimson armor is shiny too._

_Man, I think shininess equals "IMPORTANT" to these guys._

_As for the Gruntmon…they're weird guys. They speak really oddly, breathe in gas…heh, breathe gas…and are rather…well, grunty. Grunt grunt grunt…_

_Jackalmon. They're called Jackals, but they look more like birds to me._

_Huntermon. Walking tanks. Walked into one the other day…the thing didn't even bother pushing me aside, and I STILL got knocked away! Those dudes are heavy._

_A satellite was just launched from the Great Journey, so now we have satellite TV! It's nice to see channels back home…hope the others at the police department are doing okay._

_Wonder how Kaoru's doing. If she finds out I left without telling her, she's gonna be mad…_

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_November 29, 2004_

_Some of the Americans have begun moving up to help with construction. Can't speak a word of English…at least I have the Digimon to help translate. It's so weird! No matter what language a guy talks, the Digimon understand. It's like they know all languages…a walking pocket translator!_

…_wait. They're too big to fit in my pocket…eh, whatever._

_Helping with the construction of an aircraft hangar today. Those plasma weapons of theirs are something else…cut through metal and rock like it was nothing._

_Though those tanks – they're called Ghosts, right? – are scary. But the destroy things, so they're cool. I'd be friends with them, if they could talk. Wouldn't put it past them…I mean, heck, after the stuff that's happened recently, I'd be an idiot to be in disbelief._

_It's nice to see Odaiba was rebuilt. Don't know how they did it though…_

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_Captain's Log, Stardate 294.3Q _

_Why the Star Trek jargon?_

_Because I'm in a training unit now. I'm going on drills first tomorrow morning, and I'll learn how to fight._

_Dude…this. Is. AWESOME._

_I don't know if I'll be able to sleep._

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_December 092008 _

_So tired! SLEEP NOW._

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_December 10, 2004 _

_Man, I feel sore. And dude, was I sleepy yesterday. I got the date wrong! Stupid pen._

_Anyway, training is tough. Sprints, jogging…training to increase lung capacity in the mountains…weight-lifting…even got to see some Elitemon spar. Can't wait till I get a turn!_

_Oh, and from a distance, the city looks like it's made out of purple LEGOs. Except they're round. And metal._

_And not LEGOs._

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_December 14, 2004 _

_The city has been named the Transcendent City. I think it's fitting. Construction should be complete by January; the Prophets wanted to name it now so Nola could be ready for meetings with the UN. Hope he does well._

_More drills today. Saw Vula swordfight with Huvo._

_I wanna sword._

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_December 21, 2004 _

_I'm sick of chocolate Pocky now. I mean, we do get new supplies and everything from Colorado Springs down the mountainside of Pikes Peak, and that purple paste is nutritious…but man, I'm sick of chocolate Pocky. Eh oh well. Might as well have one last bite._

_Whoa._

_WOW! It changed taste! Now it's my second favorite food: STRAWBERRY POCKY! I love this stuff again. It KNOWS me._

_…is it thinking?_

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_December 24, 2004_

_Casualty list was put up on TV and the Internet earlier today._

_Deaths from the Odaiba War: 31,207._

_Unreal._

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_December 25, 2004 _

_Her name was on the list._

_Kaoru Masaki._

_My girlfriend._

_…don't feel like talking today._

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_December 31, 2004 _

_Well, I suppose I should tell you who Kaoru was. She was my girlfriend from Odaiba, where I used to live…in Japan. I don't know why I left immediately, not knowing if she was alive or dead…guess I somehow knew…but still…agh, don't cry, don't get tears on these pages._

_America is so different. The Transcendent City is so different…but sometimes, I wonder about the guys._

_Used to be a Junsa-cho for the Odaiba Police Department…served with some good guys. Ackerson, Miyuki, Himuro, Ilene…_

_I miss them._

_The ball's dropping now…_

_10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…0._

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_January 1, 2005 _

_Happy New Year guys._

_Happy New Year Kaoru._

_I miss you._

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_January 2, 2005 _

_Whenever a Gruntmon laughs at you when he sees you cry, never punch him. The Elitemon on duty will reprimand you and make you clean Huntermon toilet facilities for a month._

_Not like that Gruntmon had a dead girlfriend to cry over._

_Meh._

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_January 3, 2005 _

_AGH. I NEVER WANT TO SEE A HUNTERMON AGAIN._

_THE STINK!_

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_February 2, 2005 _

_FREEDOM! I'M FREE FROM TOILET DUTY!_

_Anyhow, training goes on schedule. They're divvying up squads soon…wonder who I'll go to._

_And playing a prank on Vula will most likely end up in you getting flipped over and slammed on your tush. Ow._

_How am I even sitting now…?_

_Oh yeah. It's too painful to move anyway._

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_February 7, 2005 _

_Got assigned to the guard unit for the Grand Praetor._

_And guess what that means?_

_SWORD! I GOT A SWORD!_

_WOOOOOOOOOOO!_

_SWORD!_

_Sword sword sword sword swordy sword sword SWORD!_

_Bow down to the sheer awesomeness of my sword._

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_February 10, 2005 _

_Been so busy training that I haven't been able to see the news. Looks like they're still playing footage from a Raptormon attack from January._

_Ick. It's bloody._

_Though it makes me wonder…how long will this last? I mean, peace won't last for long…something's bound to blow up at a later date._

_Eh, blow up's a bad word. Never mind._

_I'm going to a bar in Colorado tonight with a friendly Elitemon named Roto Jyusinaree. Wonder how things'll go…_

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_February 11, 2005 _

_Dude…I am so wasted._

_Ackerson would slap me now if he saw me. Though I think Ilene would have laughed when I tried to sing karaoke…ugh, head hurts._

_HANGOVER. That is my new name. Owie._

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_February 15, 2005 Going on a month-long training trip to Alabama today. Wish me luck!_

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To be continued…

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Author's Note: Part 1 of a continuing thing. When will you hear Dietz again? Soon. Or maybe not.

Sorry, but I had to write SOMETHING.

Back to Crisis! And finals!


	7. Promise

Author's Note: Eh, I'm managing to get work done on Crisis slowly but surely. Anyhow, I now have a universal disclaimer on my profile, so no more standard disclaimer for you.

Anyway…here's another Side Story to tide you over.

Begin!

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Chapter 7: Promise

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/**TIME**: BETWEEN **REVISION** and **COMEBACK TOUR**

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He has dreams.

So so many.

He hates them, but he wants them.

They remind him of what he has done, just like the scar on his chest.

It seems like a lifetime ago, but he remembers all the same.

A mere child he had once been, waiting for his friend to return from summer camp.

Then news had spread of five missing children. They were gone for months. His friend was one of those missing: Hiroki Hida.

And oh, how he prayed for his safe return. Hiroki was his one and only friend.

And lo, his prayers were answered. Hiroki returned…but he came from another world. A secret world. A world made of data. A world inhabited by otherworldly creatures. A world beyond imagination.

Hiroki had told him only snippets. Each new piece of information only wet his tongue even more. He would keep the Digital World a secret for Hiroki's sake…but oh, the tales he was told filled him with desire.

He wanted to see the Digital World.

Hiroki promised him that, one day, when he got the chance, he would take him to the Digital World.

Years passed, and they grew older. They separated due to the trials of adulthood, but he still remembered Hiroki and his promise. During rough times, that promise was all that kept him going.

Adulthood came. He got a job as a reporter for the Fuji Television Station. It was there that he got back in contact with Hiroki, who was now a police officer. A big job was coming up soon; the American Ambassador was visiting Japan, and Hiroki was going to be part of the security detail.

After the Ambassador left, Hiroki would tell him EVERYTHING about the Digital World…everything that he had neglected to tell…and then he would take him there.

Oh, how his heart leapt with joy! His friend was going to keep his promise!

He was going to go to the Digital World!

But…it was not to be.

A sniper tried to assassinate the ambassador…and Hiroki protected the ambassador at the cost of his own life.

At the funeral of the police officer, he had stared quietly at Hiroki's grave, his sorrowful face hiding the rage within.

Why? Why had he been denied? Why had Hiroki died? Why? He wouldn't be able to keep his promise after all…no…NO!

It wasn't fair! **IT WASN'T FAIR!**

How great his despair was. Crushing. All-consuming. Normal men would have been obliterated…and he nearly was.

Then, one day, the voice came.

The guttural, growling voice of a demon.

Out of his computer one day came a small device, transmitting the voice of this…thing that called himself Demon. He promised that if he helped him locate a certain child, he would reward him with whatever he wished.

He should've known better…he should have. But he still remembered the promise. The promise by Hiroki.

He eagerly agreed to help Demon in return for finding Ken Ichijouji.

But it was tough. Ken Ichijouji was a celebrity. He had constant media attention. On occasion, he had personal guards during large events. He couldn't just waltz towards the boy and whisk him away…no, he'd have to be inconspicuous on this matter.

So he was patient. He bid his time until the moment was right…

But the moment was lost. The news blared out words that horrified him.

Ken "The Rocket" Ichijouji had run away from home.

His rage…his fury…oh how he seethed! How _dare_ this mere child deny him?! He was gone now! And without him, Demon wouldn't keep his promise…

Why! Why was fate toying with him?! He only wanted to see the Digital World…so many promises…all for nothing! _**WHY?!**_

But wait.

He still had hope.

It came in the form of an old man named Gennai, who was meeting with the parents of the new Digidestined…children like Hiroki, who had been to the Digital World.

How joyous! Soon…so very soon…

As soon as he found out the location of Ken Ichijouji…he was told by Demon to wait by Highton View Terrace. He went there, waiting patiently for Demon to come.

Then…there was only carnage.

Roars. Creatures in the sky, on land, in water…the wailing and gnashing of teeth…fire that blocked off the entire district of Odaiba from the world…the cries of humans…and their blood staining the broken pavement.

He ignored it…he didn't bother paying attention to it. Aside from defending himself, he focused on only one thing: the Digital World. Paradise. The world he had been promised by his only friend in the entire world. Nothing else mattered…nothing…NOTHING. The Digital World was a lighthouse, serving as a beacon for his hazy existence…he had been told to wait at Highton View Terrace, but his desire was too great. He wanted to go…go now…

In the chaos of war, he eventually found himself in the television station…and lo and behold, Demon came to him!

He would finally make it to the Digital World…

But Demon refused.

Demon laughed him off.

How dare he? He had done what Demon asked…he had given him the keys to the Real World! He had fulfilled his end of the bargain! WHY DID HE BREAK HIS WORD?! **WHY?**

Rage filled every aspect of his being…rage, rage, RAGE, _RAGE_, _**RAGE**_, _**RAGE**_…

Then he saw a digivice…in the hands of Hiroaki Ishida.

So Hiroaki was one of the friends of Hiroki.

Another way to the Digital World…another way!

He would not take any words. He would not accept any promises that would only be broken in the end. He would make it to the end…he would make it to the Digital World! HE WOULD!

No matter who stood in his way…Hiroki had promised him…Hiroki had PROMISED him…

His furious rage and hatred clouded every thought, along with his unappeasable desire to see the Digital World.

It took the concise words of Hiroki's friend to finally make him see past the haze again…as the rage began to recede, he suddenly realized that he was holding Hiroaki's ex-wife at gunpoint.

Then, as Daniel's words continued to eviscerate him, the old man was taken away by a monster.

Death.

He finally forced himself to see…to SEE.

How? How could he have done this?

How…how…what had he done?

So many people dead…so many…a deal with a demon had resulted in the deaths of so many…

"Do you think Hiroki would have wanted _this?_"

He gazed up at the mountain of corpses that now towered over him. Daniel Hida stood atop them all, his hands clenching his Kendo sword tightly. "I think you know the answer."

He paled. No…stay away…he was wrong…he was WRONG…

"Our deaths…" The corpses moaned as they moved as a wave. "…on…YOUR…_**HANDS!**_"

He screamed as the corpses devoured him.

And then he awoke, staring at the tranquil stars above.

He turned over to see a black warrior, gazing at the horizon of early morning. His partner was always keeping an eye out for threats.

Which reminded him…

He wiped the sweat off of his forehead before staring at his purple D-3, wondering why in the world he had done what he had done…especially seeing as how he had gotten a digivice anyway.

Given so many promises…and he had done so many horrible things…

And for what?

Nothing but nightmares.

But he had gotten a digivice anyway…and he had gone to the Digital World. Not because of Hiroki. Not because of Demon. Not because of Hiroaki. But because of fate's twisted sense of humor.

Promises…promises…promises…

His disjointed thoughts were giving him a headache. So he tried to go back to sleep.

But it was to no avail…for Yukio Oikawa knew that, no matter what he did, the burden of all of those human lives would never go away.

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To be continued…

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Author's Notes: I feel frustrated due to my lack of progress. I think my decision to write this chapter was a result of that.

Meh. Work on Crisis is slow and steady.

See you soon, and please review!


	8. 30 Drabbles: Mimato

Author's Note: Yo.

Anyhow, I've read a few 30 Kisses fanfics, and the concept is intriguing. I figure I'll do one: one chapter full of 30 drabbles. Can't include a kiss in each one, so I figure I'll just call it 30 Drabbles. I figure it's time to focus on some romance. Basically, there are 30 categories that have something to do with the drabble itself, with a title in bold.

The focus today? MIMATO!

Enjoy.

BEGIN!

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Chapter 8: 30 Drabbles – Mimato

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#1: **The Pink Cowboy Hat** - Look over here. (Set During Season 1)

Matt Ishida wondered what in the world had inspired that girl with the brown hair to wear a pink cowboy hat.

Mimi Tachikawa glanced back, noticing Matt's odd stare. "What? Is something on my hat?"

"Uh…no." Matt sighed. It was as though she was just silently yelling 'Hey! Look over here! LOOK AT ME!' _Meh, it's just a hat_, mentally grumbled the blonde boy as the Digidestined continued their trek through the deserts of Server._ Though why does it have to be pink?_

Little did he know that four years later, her hair would be dyed strawberry blonde…which, for all intents and purposes, was pink.

What was with her obsession with pink?

And why did he care?

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#2: **Letter to the Editor **- News; letter (Set Between BOTS and Comeback Tour)

"**NEWS FLASH: SUPERSTAR WITH NEW SQUEEZE?**"

Matt sighed out of irritation. "I'm really getting tired of seeing pictures of myself and Mimi in the tabloids."

"Gossip is gossip buddy," remarked Akira Youhei, the drummer for the Teenage Wolves band. "Now that our dear leader is taken, people are gonna be checking her out. You know how fangirls are."

Takashi Koudo, the keyboard player and sound technician for the band, muttered, "Personally? I think there's an international clique of fangirls. They've got their tentacles EVERYWHERE…like an octopus. Or a squid!"

The bassist of the group – Yutaka Chuu – sighed as his stomach rumbled. "Speaking of squid, I have a sudden hankering for calamari."

"Eh, I'll pass," said Matt as he flipped the page towards the Letters to the Editor…and blinked at the sight of the first letter.

-

_I don't want to be rude or frank, but please…STOP STALKING US! _

_Sincerely, Mimi Tachikawa_

-

Matt couldn't help but chuckle.

xxxx

#3: **Cloud Nine** - Jolt! (Set during Revision)

I can't lie. She's not the first girl I've ever kissed. Being a rock star means you get a lot of attention, and attention means fans, and fans means fanGIRLS. I will admit, some of them were attractive, but I never took any of them seriously. Tabloid material, but nothing more. It eventually got to the point where I just swore off dating due to the hassle.

That, and everyone I went on a date with ended up in the hospital. Methinks I have some vengeful fangirls.

But you know, none of those kisses really amounted to anything.

But this kiss with Mimi, after she said she'd be the Juliet to my Romeo…it was a jolt. I still feel shivers in my spine.

What a feeling.

To quote the Temptations, "I'm doing fine on cloud nine."

xxxx

#4: **Love by E-Mail** - Our distance and that person. (Set between Season 1 and Revision)

Long distance relationships were tricky.

But it could work.

I have to thank Izzy for setting it up. He's the best! Such a smart guy.

I know the stereotype of how it never works out…but hey, I know him, he knows me. Life and death battles in another world tend to erase any doubts about ANYTHING related to distance.

The moment he sends the first poem, that's when I knew things would be fine.

xxxx

#5: **Yellow Snow** - "Ano sa." ("Hey, you know." Set between BOTS and Comeback Tour.)

Little moments are key.

Matt and Mimi walked together through the snow.

"Hey, you know those TV shows where people end up doing silly stuff when they don't mean to?"

Matt glanced at Mimi. "Yeah?"

"Well, all this snow just reminded me of something I learned from one of those shows. It's never happened, but I think you should know it to."

"Okay…and?"

"Matt…never accept a lemon snow cone from strangers."

With the utterly serious tone she took on, Matt KNEW that Mimi thought he didn't know that.

He couldn't help but clutch his stomach and bowl over laughing.

Little moments are key in any relationship.

File this under 'Little Moments'.

xxxx

#6: **I'll Hold Your Hand** - The space between dream and reality. (Set between Revision and Comeback Tour.)

Going through the Digiport…into another world…

It's utterly mesmerizing. So many colors and flashes…I once wondered if it was possible to not make it through. To fall out of the Digiport…the thought terrified me for a while.

But you know, I have friends with me. Good people, like Sora, Palmon, Tai, Izzy, Joe, Yolei, Kari, all of the Digidestined…and Matt.

Matt once offered to hold my hand on the way through one time.

Isn't that just the sweetest, most romantic thing EVER?!

xxxx

#7: **Perks** - Superstar. (Set between BOTS and Comeback Tour)

Mimi gaped at the sight of the four-star restaurant they were going to. "…uh…buh…wow…no wonder you told me to dress fancy…how can you afford it…?"

Matt chuckled as he linked his arm with his girlfriend's. "For all the headaches it can bring, being a superstar has its perks."

xxxx

#8: **Silence** - Our own world. (Set between BOTS and Comeback Tour.)

Mimi gazed quietly at the scene before her.

White lilies, lazily floating through a stream. Willows that hung low, laden with quiet birds and slumbering Betamon. It was sunset, and fireflies quietly buzzed about, lighting the air with their natural contrails.

Such a beautiful scene.

It was only made better by the fact that she was nuzzling against her boyfriend, whose arms were cradled around her protectively and lovingly.

Sure, the Teenage Wolves were busy with songs, and school alone was hectic…but sometimes breaks were needed. Sometimes people needed to retreat into their own havens, their own worlds, little places where they were completely and perfectly at ease.

This little sector on Folder was one such spot. It was thanks to Gennai that they knew its precise location.

So beautiful.

Neither of them dared to speak.

It would only ruin the moment.

xxxx

#9: **Catching Up** - Dash. (Set during Season 1.)

Mimi and Palmon sighed. "Oh, this search for Sora isn't going too well…and I'm getting sand in my boots!"

"Well I've got sand in my roots, and you don't hear me complaining!" retorted Palmon.

"Hey you two, hurry up!"

Mimi and Palmon gazed ahead at Matt, TK, Gabumon, and Tokomon. They were ahead by about twenty yards. The young girl paled; how did they get ahead so quickly? _How come they never get tired?! I wish I could go by my own pace…_

Matt sighed. "Hurry up Mimi, Palmon! We don't have much farther to go! There's a cave up ahead!"

Mimi winced. The idea of spending a night in the cave out in the middle of a desert was loathsome, but she had no room to complain. Better than out IN the desert.

So she and her partner dashed to catch up. She wished she were stronger…she didn't want to be a big complainer. It just didn't feel right.

In any case, at least she wasn't alone.

But if only she were strong enough to keep up with everyone else…

xxxx

#10: **It Rhymes Half the Time** - #10. (Set between Season 1 and Season 2.)

_The number ten to many people means many things._

_About the number ten, let me tell you what I think._

_-_

_Ten stands for heaven._

_Oh how I think of you._

_-_

_Ten can be a number of years._

_Good for wine, not always for beer._

_-_

_A lot of people have ten belongings._

_What they are, they always vary._

_-_

_Ten ten ten ten ten ten ten…_

_Whoever named it, I don't know when._

_-_

_This poem does not rhyme on every line, I will admit._

_But hey, I can only attest to perfection half the time._

_-_

_All I can say is, like a movie critic with his pen._

_I write in the paper to give you a ten out of ten._

-

Mimi squealed as she finished reading Matt's e-mail.

xxxx

#11: **Flowers for the Housemates** - Gardenia. (Set during Housemates.)

"Hmm…which flowers should I get…" Mimi frowned. Davis and Jun had just become members of the Inoue household. She wanted to deliver some flowers to wish the two luck!

"Roses are always good."

Mimi turned around to see none other than Matt, munching on a donut. "Oh, hi!"

"Well?" Matt silently chewed, looking at the assortment of flowers in the Takenouchi Flower Shop. He didn't see Sora around; she was probably out somewhere. Probably with a certain jungle-headed Child of Courage.

Mimi frowned as she looked at the roses. "No…roses are cliché and out of season." She looked around, her frown growing deeper. _Which one…? Which one…OH HO!_ "Gardenias!"

"Garde-wha?"

Mimi quickly grabbed a bundle of flowers with white petals and a yellow pistil. "These!"

"Those? Aren't those…nearly impossible to grow?"

"Yeah…but…" Mimi's voice quieted as she stared silently at the white petals, pure as snow and as white as a dove's feather. "Davis and Jun…they might have a hard time growing into their new life…so I thought…"

A hand clutched her shoulder tightly. Mimi gazed up into the eyes of her boyfriend.

"Mimi…you know more about flowers than I do, so it's not my place to say, you know?" He calmly shrugged, as though brushing off the idea of roses. "Besides, flowers are flowers. I'm sure they'll like whatever you send, so choose the ones you think will be best."

As Matt walked out of the store, donut bag in hand, Mimi couldn't help but smile widely.

"You've got it SO bad for him."

Mimi whirled around to see a familiar redhead grinning at her from behind some potted tulips. "**SORA!!!**"

xxxx

#12: **That Time of the Month**- In a good mood. (Set between BOTS and Comeback Tour.)

"WHERE IS MY **NAIL POLISH?!**"

Keisuke Tachikawa sighed out of irritation as he glanced at his wife. "PMS?"

"Unfortunately, yes," replied Satoe with a sigh. If not handled delicately, her period-influenced mood swings would bring down the house. Figuratively speaking, of course. "She's in a rush to get ready for her date…"

_Knock-knock._

Keisuke grimaced as he got out of his chair, ignoring the angry thrashing that Mimi caused down the hall in the bathroom. One glance through the peephole told him that it was Matt. "Mimi! Your date's here!"

"_Coming…_" sung the calm, even-headed voice of Mimi Tachikawa as she quietly sauntered through the living room, a purple dress adorning her body.

Satoe and Keisuke blinked at Mimi's sudden change in attitude. Either her mood swings were wilder than ever…or her mood was always better when Matt was around.

xxxx

#13: **Stalkers** - Excessive chain. (Set between BOTS and Comeback Tour.)

Mimi stared quietly about the park, frowning at the sight of a few people hiding as her gaze fell upon them. Stalkers or fangirls. It was annoying; all she was doing was dating Matt! Why couldn't they leave her alone?! "I enjoyed the date…but…"

"But?" asked Matt.

"The people that follow us…it's hard to be happy when people are so jealous that they'll follow you everywhere…" Like chains, tying them down, constricting them…

"Let them be. Some people are hopeless," grumbled Matt as he kept his arm around Mimi's shoulder. "Besides, if worse comes to worse, I have a big bad wolf at home."

Mimi giggled at the referral to Garurumon. "Will he blow their house in?"

"I don't know…don't know of any houses made of straw or wood in Tokyo…"

Mimi giggled even more.

She didn't worry anymore about the stalkers that night.

xxxx

#14: **Choices, Choices** - Radio-cassette player. (Set during Comeback Tour.)

Mimi, still clad in her kimono from the wedding of Hiroaki Ishida and Natsuko Takaishi, stared between two stereos. "Hmm…which one…"

Two black stereos. Her old one had shorted out recently, and she needed a new one.

One played old radio-cassettes. Little tapes.

One played compact discs. CDs.

Mimi frowned. The tape-player was less expensive, although hardly anyone used cassette tapes anymore…on the other hand, SHE did have a rather large collection of cassette tapes from over the years…

_Hmm…decisions, decisions…_

That's when she looked over at another rack and saw one last CD of the just-released Teenage Wolves Album #1: Howling at the Moon.

She quickly grabbed the stereo with the CD player.

xxxx

#15: **Some Things Don't Change** - Perfect blue. (Set during Comeback Tour.)

Matt Ishida coughed.

There was too much dust in the air.

After all, with reconstruction still under way…

The Child of Friendship sighed out of sadness. KingEtemon's attack had utterly destroyed Odaiba; even though the Digimon of the Transcendent City were helping out with rebuilding, there was still a lot to do.

The dirt and rubble reminded him of the Odaiba War, where naught but ruins remained.

_Why can't the Guardian Beasts rebuild the city like they did the other time?_ Matt frowned; he knew it probably had something to do with 'you must not become dependent on us' or something like that…

He thought it was utter bull. If they could have fixed it instantly, why not?

"Meh…" growled Matt as he stared out at the harbor of Tokyo Bay, its waters turbulent and dirty near the manmade island that Odaiba stood upon.

A hand suddenly grabbed his.

Matt glanced to his right, seeing Mimi standing there, looking just as messy as he did. Her eyes – filled with the sadness of one who had lost their home – still managed to stare high up into the air. "The sky…at least it still looks the same."

Matt was silent as he stared up at the cloudless expanse. So wide, so clear, so long…such a perfect shade of blue. "Yeah…it still is."

Mimi was still the same too, he thought with a hidden smile.

xxxx

#16: **Shame of Weakness** - Invincible; unrivaled. (Set during Season 1.)

"HOWLING BLASTER!"

The Monochromon howled as the blue flames of Garurumon burned away at him.

TK and Tokomon poked around behind Matt's legs. "Wow. Nice one Matt, Garurumon!"

"Just another one of Etemon's flunkies," muttered Matt with a scowl. Truthfully, he was surprised they hadn't found more, considering how large Etemon's old army had been. They hadn't ALL been destroyed during the clash between the monkey and MetalGreymon, had they? In any case…he turned towards Mimi and Palmon, who were panting on the ground. "You two need to keep up, or you'll get ambushed like that again."

Mimi winced; why wasn't she strong enough?! Even though Tai was gone, and most of the group had split up already, Matt still managed to soldier on in their search for Sora. And here she was, getting attacked before she could get Palmon to even digivolve…

"Let's keep going…" muttered Matt as he turned around and kept walking, stopping by Garurumon as he dedigivolved. "Let's go."

"…Palmon and I will go on another way."

Matt, Gabumon, TK, and Tokomon whirled around. Palmon gaped at her partner. "But Mimi-!"

"We're both only slowing you down," said Mimi with a forced smile. "Besides, Palmon needs to find better soil if she's going to be able to digivolve at all in the near future. This desert's only weakening her…so if we ran into something worse than a Monochromon, we'd be dead weight."

Matt frowned as he stared at the Crest of Sincerity dangling over Mimi's chest. "Well…I guess you're being sincere, since you're the Child of Sincerity and all that…"

"Right-o!" exclaimed Mimi. "You guys keep on going…Palmon and I will head that way." She pointed off to the east, where a mountain range could be seen poking out of the horizon. "We'll probably find a forest somewhere over that way…which means good soil for Palmon! If we do find Sora or any of the others, we'll try and head back this way and follow you."

Matt nodded. "Okay."

TK gulped as he blubbered, "M-Mimi…you'll be okay, right? Everyone else has left already…"

Palmon stepped forward. "Don't worry, I'll protect her!"

Mimi smiled. "Okay everyone…goodbye."

And with that, the two left Matt, TK, and their partners.

And as Mimi walked away, she tried not to cry over how shamefully weak she was. At least now, if something bad happened, she wouldn't drag them down with her…

She glanced back only to see that Matt was already leading TK through the desert, trudging on like an invincible soldier.

She wished she were that strong.

xxxx

#17: **Technicalities** - kHz (kilohertz. Set between Housemates and BOTS.)

AM Radio has three different frequency bands.

Long wave operates from 153 to 279 kilohertz.

Medium wave is 520-1,610 kHz.

Short wave? 2,300 – 26,100 kHz.

Mimi had no way of knowing this. She was too busy listening to Matt and the Teenage Wolves sing on the radio.

xxxx

#18: **Eat This...OR ELSE!** - "Say aaah…" (Set between BOTS and Comeback Tour.)

Matt prayed that no one was seeing him right now. Mimi, had _insisted_, but he knew how 'uncool' this looked.

"Say aaah…"

Matt grimaced.

"Matt. Say aaaahh."

Matt sighed. _Fine, just get it over with._ "Aaah…"

Mimi popped a spoon of chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream into his mouth. "There now, this isn't so bad, is it?"

_We're doing this in PUBLIC!_ Matt forced himself to shake his head as he swallowed. Mimi was a great girl and everything, but he had no clue why women thought spoon-feeding their boyfriend/lover/husband was cute or romantic.

"Good! Now again…"

Matt sweatdropped as he opened his mouth again.

_Ka-CHICK!_

The flash of a camera being held by Tai caught their attention. "SCORE!" He quickly burst off running from his hiding place behind the trashcan.

Matt immediately burst off running. "**TAI!!!**"

xxxx

#19: **First Nosebleed in Zero 2?** - Red. (Set between Housemates and BOTS.)

Matt quietly looked through the clothing catalogue. He knew that Mimi loved the colors pink, purple, and red more than anything else.

And she was low on red clothing.

_What should I get her for her birthday?_

He resisted the urge to fantasize about what kind of lingerie would look good on her. It wouldn't be cool to buy his girlfriend anything that could be considered underwear. It'd send the wrong message.

Though he allowed himself to fantasize. Just a little.

In his defense, he did not get a nosebleed. He does have SOME self-control, thank you very much.

xxxx

#20 - **Rage, Sorrow, and Lonely Comfort** - The road home. (Set during Revision.)

Matt grabbed Mimi's shoulder lightly as she exclaimed, "Oh, I can't wait to talk to my parents! They must be so worried!"

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it Mimi. I'm sure they're all fine."

He meant it to. Even though they had to ride along with the Forbidden City Digimon in their massive airship – _The Great Journey_ – he thought that the worst was over. Sure, he knew that the Demon Corps and the remnants of UmbraDevimon's Army were there, fighting each other…but they were coming home. The Digidestined that is.

They had just survived Darkheart, and had just defeated UmbraDevimon himself. Things would be fine.

But even as Mimi wondered how much change she would need to call her parents – unknowledgeable of the fact that Satoe and Keisuke were actually here in Japan – the main viewing display showed an Odaiba torn by fire and war. The Digidestined couldn't help but express various measures of shock, awe, or anger.

Mimi gasped out of horror, a pure emotion of terror that caused her legs to quiver.

Matt's free hand clenched out of absolute rage.

But even now, as they continued on the road to a home torn apart by demons and devils, Matt kept a hand on Mimi's shoulder, lest she fall from the weakness that now gripped her knees.

At the moment, it was her only comfort.

xxxx

#21: **Union in the Face of Death** - Violence; pillage/plunder, extortion. (Set during Revision.)

The Digiknight clashed once more with BelialMyotismon, a veritable clash of the titans for the fate of both worlds…nay, the universe itself.

United were the minds, bodies, Crests, and powers of all of the Digidestined, all donning the Armor of Miracles, charged with their might into something even greater.

In these brief moments, every Digidestined's thoughts were one…and they were devoted to killing the beast that was BelialMyotismon.

But deep in the back of Matt's mind, he swore to not only survive, but to survive with victory.

After all, he wouldn't be able to ask Mimi out on a date if they were dead.

xxxx

#22: **Of Sex and Baseball** - Cradle. (Set between BOTS and Comeback Tour.)

"I hear your girlfriend's buying a baby cradle."

Matt blinked as Akira and Takashi's heads whipped around at Yutaka's proclamation. "…and?"

"YOUR GIRLFRIEND'S PREGNANT?!" roared Akira.

"**WHAT?** _**NO!!!**_" retorted Matt.

Takashi sighed. "Whew…that's good…but what's the cradle for then?"

"She's agreed to help the Inoues out for a big candy sale at their store. They're cleaning out old stock to make room for some new items, and she offered to buy an old baby cradle to hold some of the candy."

Takashi nodded at the explanation, Yutaka said, "Well, at least I'll know now what to tell the people who live for nothing more than gossip."

Akira sighed. "Eh, and I thought it was something juicy too…"

Matt rolled his eyes as he tuned his guitar. "Man, whatever…"

"…so," muttered Akira, a strange glint in his eye. "Can you still tell me how it was?"

"How what was?"

"Hitting a home run, you know?" he asked with a wink.

Matt fumed as he twisted his tuner too far. "_**WE HAVE NOT SLEPT TOGETHER!!!**_"

Takashi and Yutaka stared at Matt's outburst. The latter stated, "It's a good thing we're alone in the auditorium."

Akira kept on. "Okay then, hitting third base?"

"Haven't gotten there," growled Matt.

"Second?"

"No."

"WHAT THE FLIPPIN' HECK MAN," yelled an astounded Akira. "You've been with a babe like Mimi Tachikawa for nearly six months now, and you're still only on FIRST BASE?!"

Matt grumbled out of utter irritation. He hated it when Akira got curious and nosy about such matters he had no business with. _Curse your lack of a proper upbringing!_ Then again, he didn't have much to stand on this matter, but I digress. "To be accurate, we are leading off of first base, but no more."

Akira fumed. "Slowpoke."

Takashi just looked confused. "Why are you all talking about baseball?"

Matt and Akira stared. Yutaka rubbed his temples out of annoyance. It was just one of those days…

xxxx

#23: **Told You** - Candy. (Set between BOTS and Comeback Tour.)

"See?" cockily said Matt as he pointed through the windows of the Inoue Convenience Store. As he had said, there was Mimi, helping out the Inoues with the cradle full of candy.

"Yeah yeah, I get ya," muttered Akira out of irritation. His eyes narrowed as Matt walked towards the store doors. "Hey, where you going?"

"I promised I'd help her out."

"…you are so whipped."

"SHUT UP!"

xxxx

#24: **Dating Tips** - Good night. (Set between BOTS and Comeback Tour.)

The end of a date is as crucial a part as the rest of it. Perhaps more so. It leaves the last impression.

Handle it well, and you're looking at a second date in the near future.

For example, look at Matt Ishida. It was the end of the date, having just come back from the four-star restaurant. At the front door to her apartment, having escorted her back to her home, he went for one last kiss.

First he went about five percent of the way, to gauge her reaction.

She immediately came eighty percent of the way.

He came the rest of the way.

It was a simple kiss. Ten seconds.

Now here's the key part.

Mimi and Matt both pulled back. The Child of Sincerity happily said, "Well…good night."

Cue the punch line!

"Mimi…you just made it a **better** night."

ONE-HIT KO! A tad corny, but it does the trick.

Matt knew, even as he turned away from her to walk down the stairs, that she was smiling like crazy.

Ladies and gentlemen, little touches like that go a long way toward a secure dating relationship.

xxxx

#25: **Emo? Angst? You be the Judge** - Fence. (Set between Season 1 and Revision.)

Matt Ishida was used to erecting fences. Not pretty ones like white picket fences you see in old, American 1950s TV shows like Leave it to Beaver.

I'm talking about fences of a sturdier type. Fences of the mind.

You can't blame him. After the divorce that separated him from his brother, he was used to erecting fences around himself. Not visible, but surely there. They kept people away…exuding silence and a tough skin told people that he was a serious kind of guy. Don't cross me, or you'll regret it.

That's the message he sent.

He couldn't help it. It's hard to trust someone after your parents undergo a bitter divorce. Especially when that divorce separates you from your little brother.

He didn't like that kind of feeling, to see a family splinter and shatter. It was a betrayal, of sorts.

Maybe that was why he loved Mimi so much, why he bothered with a long-distance relationship. Sure, she didn't like being rude, or hurting other people's feelings…but he also knew that she didn't hesitate to speak her mind. She didn't hesitate to tell others what was troubling her (if they asked, that is. She didn't volunteer everything.)

But most importantly to Matt…he knew that Mimi wasn't the kind of person to lie or deceive him.

She had the Crest of Sincerity for a reason, you know.

xxxx

#26: **The Rock-and-Roll Poet** - If only I could make you mine. (Set between Season 1 and Revision.)

_If only I could make you mine._

_Let me tell you, one who is divine._

_-_

_I see a five-star restaurant, where all who dine,_

_Know that everything goes well with some red wine._

_-_

_I see a tall, glorious pine,_

_It stands alone, Nature's shrine._

_-_

_I think of these things, when I seek to define,_

_One who I know, is undeniably fine._

_-_

_I shall say one last time, before I resign,_

_If only I could make you mine._

-

Mimi smiled with delight. Who knew Matt was so gifted at poetry?

Then again, being a band's lead singer probably required being gifted with words…

xxxx

#27: **Time to go to Staples** - Overflow. (Set between Season 1 and Revision.)

As Mimi printed off another poem, she stared at the blue folder (because she thought of Matt's crest, and it was blue, so there you go) that held all of his works.

It was overflowing with his poetry from the last couple of years.

…_I think I need a new folder._

xxxx

#28: **Whose Idea was THIS?** - Wada Calcium CD3. (Set between BOTS and Comeback Tour.)

"We'll be thinking of the songs we'll want to put on our first album that's coming this May," said Matt as he handed a list to Mimi. "I'm finalizing a list…but tell me some of the ones you want on there."

"Oooh…" Mimi smiled. The privilege of choosing what songs to buy was an honor. She'd have to remember to get it when it came out. "Hmm…'Key to Granting Wishes' is fine…'Live and Learn'…ooh, I like 'We Wanted to Be Strong'……uh…Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"What's 'Wada Calcium CD3'?"

"…a techno song."

Mimi blinked. "Aren't you a rock band?"

"Takashi's idea. I have no idea." Though personally, Matt had enjoyed crafting it. It was something very different, but unique.

Mimi crossed it out.

Matt winced. "Ah, Mimi, we like that song…"

"Well Matt…" Mimi sighed before innocently stating, "I just can't imagine wolves singing about calcium."

At this, Matt couldn't help but snicker. "That's true."

Well, there was always the next album.

xxxx

#29: **Golden Sunset** - The sound of waves. (Set during Revision.)

"I hate Puppetmon," growled Matt as he walked alongside Mimi on one of the beaches of File Island.

"No kidding! Why of all people did he have to come back?" wailed Mimi as the sun set. As its light dimmed, however, it only allowed the light of the golden column – which had inexplicably appeared less than an hour ago – to become more prominent. It was a fantastic sight, otherworldly…they had no idea what caused it.

They would not learn until much later that it was simply the Crest of Miracles letting its location at the End of the World be known to the New Digidestined.

But neither of the older Digidestined on File Island knew that.

To them, it was simply another unexplained phenomenon.

Matt and Mimi's shoes scrunched against the sand as the waves crashed into the island coast. The continuous sound…it was comforting. The waves always came, always coating the air with their watery, yet thunderous sound.

Mimi suddenly sat down. "Can we just sit here…for a little while?"

Matt happily sat down. After the exhaustion of Puppetmon's Games, more walking seemed…distasteful.

The two just sat there, staring at the western horizon as the sun continued to dip below, bringing dusk to an end and night to its rise. Only that golden tower, looming impossibly high into the sky, beyond anything they could perceive, brought light to them on this night.

It was mesmerizing.

Matt and Mimi remained silent, letting only the sound of the waves speak for them. Such a calm sound…

It said more than they could, in those quiet moments. They didn't dare speak; it would have broken the waves, and the mighty ocean demanded that it be heard.

So they let it. It saved the effort…and they were tired enough as it was.

Such a soothing sound…

xxxx

#30: **What Does Pink Taste Like?** - Kiss. (Set during Zero 2.)

Every single time I kiss her, it's always the same.

Her mouth tastes slightly of strawberries, mixed with sugar. Considering how a sweet a girl she is, I guess it's only fitting.

If 'pink' had a taste…Mimi would be it.

I mean, after all, it was her favorite color.

xxxx

To be continued…

xxxx

Author's Notes: Behold! The romance, the drama, and the pure, unadulterated FLUFF. Let it devour you. Rawr.

This was fun to write. I'll try a Taiora or Jin (Jun/Jim) one in the future. And it didn't take long. (Two days FTW.)

See you soon, and please review!


	9. The Internet's Darkest Day

Author's Note: Behold. A brief look at the chaos that was not known.

Begin!

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Chapter 9: The Internet's Darkest Day and its Solution

xxxx

/**TIME**: AFTER **REVISION**/

xxxx

It couldn't be helped.

The significance that subsequent events had on the world stage overshadowed it. After all, it wasn't everyday that someone experienced a literal invasion of monsters and alien creatures. The severity and consequences of the Odaiba War had resulted in the almost-forced integration of Digimon into human society around Earth…and such massive changes are the stuff of political debate, late night talk shows, and idle chitchat.

But the event that began on October the 22nd and ended on October the 24th of the year 2004 – popularly known as "The Internet Lockdown" – had drastic consequences on its own.

Imagine. The Internet is no longer accessible. Hear the screams of the nerds, the fanboys, and the otaku. Imagine satellite television and digital cable refusing to work, reduced to only local broadcast and AM radio.

But the true scope of the damage…oh, it went beyond the taking away of leisurely delights. The Internet was a massive computer network, serving as the bridge between computers all over the world. It was the dominant network, the network that all others were modeled after.

It had been shut down, for all intents and purposes. No one could access it. Data packets were sent, but were not received. You could ping anyone you wanted, but nothing could go over TCP/IP. No digital communications of any kind.

It had essentially shut down most high-end businesses that relied on any form of digital network…and those were a lot of businesses and government agencies. Merrill Lynch. FedEx. UPS. NASDAQ. Dow Jones. News Corp. J.P. Morgan Chase. Citigroup Inc. Wachovia. Wells Fargo. Delta Airlines. NASA. NOAA. Microsoft. Apple. Mitsubishi. Sony. Nintendo. Bank of Japan. Literally hundreds of thousands of businesses and government-regulated entities all over the world that relied on any form of digital networking were negatively affected. Even smaller businesses were affected; those that relied on computer networks to communicate with shipping and delivery companies for supplies, for instance. So many things resulted from the shutdown of digital networks of the world, not the least of them being a global recession that took over a month to stabilize. Although no long-term damage had been done to the world's digital networks, the panic that had resulted changed the bull market into a bear market. So many shares of stock had been sold away on October 22nd that the effects were felt far and wide, even after the Internet Lockdown ended on October 24th. It was only due to the lack of any physical damage to the world's networks that the recession ended only a month later.

The GDP of all the nations in the world equaled a rough total of $49,000,000,000,000 in 2003.

Due to the month-long recession, the global GDP for 2004 came to only $29,000,000,000,000.

A loss of over twenty trillion dollars. Economists wept.

But then again, most people's attention was focused elsewhere.

The Odaiba War.

The establishment of a Digimon nation-state within American borders: the Transcendent City.

The continuing emergence of Digimon into the Real World.

The increasing role of Digimon in human society.

It wasn't hard to draw the conclusion that affairs in the Digital World had resulted in the Internet Lockdown. A clamor to try and prevent a future incident was only one of many demands on the table before the United States federal government. Private industry and government think tanks united to devise a solution to the problem.

Enter the National Security Agency and one President Jonathon Hirshel Yates.

President Yates was an intriguing figure. Jewish by birth, Christian by choice, this man had an interesting political history.

The Republican Party nominee in 1992 (an oddity in and of itself, considering how most Jewish Americans voted Democrat), Yates had run as a fiscal and social conservative, with a bit of a federalist twist. His opponent on the Democratic side – William Clayton – was more of a moderate, but his advantage was public anger with the incumbent George Herbert Walker Bush. Bush's first – and only – term after his election in 1988 had largely squandered Republican gains during the Reagan years; discontent within the GOP was so large that Yates – a former Senator of Florida turned Governor – had been nominated in preference of a second Bush term. Unfortunately for Yates, anti-Bush sentiment was too large for him to overcome: Clayton won the Office of the President.

In 1994, after two short years of a Democrat-led federal government – with a Democrat majority in both chambers, complete with a Democrat President – voters elected Republicans to a majority in both houses of Congress for the first time since the 1950s. Most political commentators and analysts suggested that much of the losses for the Democratic Party were inflicted by heavy support for the Brady Bill – gun-control legislation that drew the ire of 2nd Amendment supporters like the NRA and the GOA – NAFTA – a free trade agreement bill that drew the ire of protectionists, isolationists, union workers, and economists calling it 'government-managed trade, not free trade' – and numerous health care reform initiatives that were criticized as socialistic and restrictive of medical choice on the part of the consumer. This 104th Republican-led U.S. Congress would hound William Clayton until 1996, where he would lose the election to the Republican nominee Robert Dobson, the current Governor of California. His Vice President was Jonathon H. Yates.

Then came 1999.

In August of that year, Dobson had died of a heart attack while en route to New York for a meeting with the United Nations. He had been a relatively old President…and being President of the United States was a very stressful job. Yates was sworn in shortly thereafter, becoming the 44th President of the United States.

Enter 2000. Yates, as the incumbent and former nominee from 1992, won handily against the Democratic Party nominee: Alfred Vore, the former Vice President of William Clayton. With Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress, Yates had managed to limit the size of federal government for the first time in years, heavily decreasing non-defense spending while only slightly increasing defense spending (in any case, it was a complete reduction of federal spending overall). His federalist approach to government – a throwback to the days of America's founding – was quite popular amongst the voters. Considering that he had not been President for more than two years before the 2000 election, he was eligible to run for another term in 2004. Most people predicted he'd defeat the Democratic nominee – an Illinois Senator by the name of Larry Jackson – in a landslide.

Then came the Internet Lockdown and the Odaiba War.

All occurring within mere _weeks_ of Election Day.

October 27th. The Prophet of Reality's speech to the world from the White House.

Granted, he had handled the introduction to Reality's speech in a manner that would deflect some criticism, but anti-Digimon sentiment was awfully high after the carnage wrought upon Odaiba. He was fortunate that he had run a very frugal government, and this Administration had mostly avoided scandals. The election – which he won with 328 out of 538 electoral votes – was closer than it would have been, without the incidents regarding Digimon.

So Yates, understandably, wanted to limit future incidents such as the Internet Lockdown…and he wanted to prevent anything like the Odaiba War from arising on American soil.

We return to the National Security Agency, which had proposed a solution of sorts.

The current director – Benjamin K. Alexander – had offered to craft a national network using a revolutionary technology to fortify American networks, so that a similar incident like the Internet Lockdown (even if it were global) would not affect networks within the United States. It would be a joint venture with Digimon and the Transcendent City, done under the table, so to speak; considering the technology that the Transcendent City possessed, it would cause too much unease amongst their allies if the United States suddenly started vaulting ahead **publicly** (key word there) on the technological scale due to an alliance with Digimon.

Yates gave Alexander until the end of his last Presidential term for a result, unless some other private firm or government agency obtained a solution first.

Alexander then passed authority on the project to the man that had proposed the project to begin with: a long-time NSA member by the name of Samuel J. Bishop…who, in very tight-lipped circles, was known as the head of the **Project Echelon** team.

Fast forward to 2005.

Phases 1 & 2 of this project have been completed. Mr. Bishop is almost ready to deliver the solution to the NSA Director.

But that's not the only reason Mr. Bishop proposed this project, oh no. If it were only about creating a digital network that could withstand the new strain of a world further becoming interconnected with the Digital World, it would've ended shortly after a sample of KingEtemon's Dark Network had been obtained.

Mr. Bishop had other plans.

Phase Three – Project Digital Reaper – was only another step towards Bishop's goal. And once the D-Reaper found its target…Phase 4 would begin.

And everything would be complete.

The classified events surrounding Project Echelon's D-Reaper would coincide with the airing of a television show in Japan during the Fall of 2005.

That show was called _Digimon: Tamers_.

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To be continued…

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Author's Note: Consider this foreshadowing for **Zero 2: Tamers**, which comes out right after _Crisis_ ends. Don't worry folks, once Davis gets back to Arbitermon's Station, we'll be heading towards the climax of the whole thing. Expect Tamers to come out sometime next year.

In any case, what did we cover here: a bit of a more in-depth look at the effects of the Internet Lockdown (please correct me if I overstated or understated its effects, but I think such an event would result in a recession), the background of the United States' leader President Yates, and the origin of how Mr. Bishop started his little project.

Back to _Crisis_.

See you soon, and please review!


	10. The Wonderful Wizardmon of Oz

Author's Note: Well, I think it's time to elaborate on one of the more interesting and unexpected twists of Comeback Tour.

Can you say WIZARDMON?

Yes, Gatomon's lovable friend. Due to stuff with Crisis, I haven't had much time to work on him or the Rocketeers. Thankfully, that's why Side Stories exists. Plus, I gotta read up on V-Tamer for the next chapter of Crisis.

Also, this chapter features the lovely Dubbed Digimon tradition of episode titles…with PUNS!

Begin!

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Chapter 10: The Wonderful Wizardmon of Oz

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/**TIME**: BETWEEN **COMEBACK TOUR** AND **TAMERS**/

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He had been a Mokumon. Born from a gray Digiegg splotched with orange dots, the tiny little Baby Digimon – a gray puffball of smoke with beady yellow eyes and a little flickering flame on top – had lived as most Baby Digimon had in Primary Village. Eat, drink, poop, sleep, cry. That sort of thing.

But he had once been a very experienced Digimon, one who had traveled far and seen much. So it was no surprise that, once he had been reborn from the purgatory of Digital Limbo, he digivolved in no time flat.

As DemiMeramon – a living fireball with a mouth, two claws, and two purple eyes – he had relocated to a warmer locale: Meramon's volcano, where the In-Training Digimon could bask in the warm caress of the magma and its geothermal fire.

Time had passed. He had watched from afar as humans had come to File Island. Many of them were unfamiliar with the Digital World…with Digimon. But the few who led them had partners of their own. They were figures he had recognized from his past life.

Digidestined.

Occasionally, he had seen amongst the Digidestined group leaders a child that he had once called the '_Eighth Child_'. A feline that he had once known VERY well also accompanied her. Gatomon.

He had sworn that, upon reaching his former form, he would meet her for old times' sake.

Then he had digivolved into his Rookie form. As Candlemon, he often alternated between moving through both Meramon's volcano, the deserts of File Island, and the frigid realm of Frigimon (after all, it felt good to let his body of white wax cool from time to time…even though, technically, his true form was the fiery Digicore atop his candlewick). It made him quite curious as to how relatively quickly he was digivolving naturally. Perhaps it was because he had lived so long as a Champion Digimon? That was probably the case; he had lived in that form for years, decades even. Digital World time had been extraneously slow back then, compared to Real World time; he couldn't even recall how much time had passed between his initial meeting with Gatomon and when they had ventured into the Real World.

But that was in the past.

He had digivolved to his Champion form at last: Wizardmon.

But there was an extra accessory on his person…or under his hat, as the case had been. It had been a digivice; one of the standard ones that the older Digidestined had been given before the battle with Devimon.

Feeling oddly curious about this development, he had only begun to suspect that he had been gifted with a partner when he came upon a Digiport: a little television set that was only one of many throughout the Digital World. It was a gateway to the Real World. Standard digivices were incapable of opening digiports…at least in the hands of humans. Many Digimon had been able to cross through…either with the aid of the digivice that would eventually belong to their partner, or because they had physically torn through a gap in the barriers separating Real from Digital. The latter had been decreasing over time; the Guardian Beasts, from what he had seen (especially after Baithumon had rebuilt Infinity Mountain), had mostly repaired the Digital World after the havoc wrought by the Digimon Emperor and UmbraDevimon (he hadn't been alive to witness these events…but hey, Digimon loved to talk gossip about the exploits of the New Digidestined). Now, they had turned their focus toward keeping the barriers between the worlds strong and intact.

Wizardmon had traveled to the Real World through the digiport; the digivice let him pass through.

But just a few short minutes after he had entered the Real World…the Dark Network had emerged, wreaking havoc throughout the district of Odaiba.

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/Kage Park, Platform 1, Odaiba, Saturday, August 24th, 5:59 PM/

"And that's basically how life was before I came here," finished Wizardmon.

"Sounds boring," replied Gatomon.

"I told you it would be."

Kage Park; only one of many in Odaiba's Recreational Sector, it bordered the new Pallete Town that had been rebuilt following KingEtemon's attack. Only eight days had passed since the drastically redesigned district – a gigantic violet monolith with three giant platforms sticking out – had been reopened to the public. People were already getting used to the hustle and bustle of moving about here.

And it was quite a view.

Sitting in the branches of one of the many weeping willows that dotted the pond-filled Kage Park were Gatomon and Wizardmon, catching up on old times.

It was good to have her old friend back.

"So, how's being a partner going?" asked the feline.

The mage sighed. "I'm afraid that her fellows are quite…persistent, shall I say."

Gatomon slyly smirked. "Oh _really_?"

"Those Rocketeers…they constantly pester my partner, asking if I'll 'make Ken Ichijouji theirs', as they put it." The wizard was not one for such malevolent trickery. "At least Tatsuki insists on 'winning Ken fair and square'. This whole business is wearisome." The dynamics of human dating were beyond his scope of understanding…and he doubted he wanted to understand, given how rabid most of those females acted.

Gatomon could only snicker. "Sounds rough."

"Indeed." Glancing over at Gatomon, his eyes widened. "Say…your tail ring. Where is it?"

"Oh?" Gatomon frowned as she looked at her tail; she remembered now. "I lost it when I was fleeing from the Digimon Emperor, before the Digiworld was reopened. And I liked that ring! It made me feel trendy." There was one more reason she missed that tail ring; it was a power booster of sorts. Myotismon, back when she had served him, had given it to her to make her abilities as a Champion Digimon skyrocket. The ring had been only one of a few artifacts found in the Order facility that Myotismon had based his castle in (the very same castle that housed an interdimensional gateway). Although now she was still capable of beating most Rookie Digimon due to experience and natural agility, her strength had plummeted; she couldn't send a Greymon toppling like she could have before.

"Such a shame," lamented Wizardmon. "I thought it complimented you."

"Thanks."

The wind slowly caressed them, brushing by with a brief tickling sensation. Leaves rustled in a cacophony of soft sound as the frolicking of children could be heard in the background.

Peace and quiet.

"_RUN VEEMON!!!_"

"OKAY DAVISH!"

"**VEEMON!!! GET BACK HERE WITH MY CANDY BAR!!!**"

Couldn't last forever.

Gatomon and Wizardmon stared as Veemon – holding a chocolate bar in his hand – dashed as fast as he could, fleeing from an enraged Yolei Inoue. Davis Inoue and the rest of the Inoue Family – obviously here for a family outing – could only stare (along with the other bystanders) at the odd scene.

Wizardmon blinked as Veemon tried to stuff the candy bar in his mouth, much to Yolei's rage. Her scream of fury was loud enough to induce deafness. "…and that's your DNA partner, right?"

"Yep."

Wizardmon glanced over at Gatomon. "You have my pity."

Gatomon promptly stuffed Wizardmon's hat down on his head.

"Oh come now, I was joking!"

This was the life. Free of the burden of Myotismon, and with Wizardmon's rebirth, Gatomon could finally be herself around the Digimon she could easily call her first friend.

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And now for a public service announcement!

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**DIGIVICES AND YOU**

You see the word 'digivice' thrown about so often these days. A regular digivice is one thing, but what about a D-3 digivice? And what about those D-1s that the Original Digidestined wield?

Wonder no further! Here's a thoughtful Digivice primer.

Let's start with the D-1.

A small rectangular device that was gray in color, it looked a lot like a thicker version of the modern iPod. Possessing one small screen and three black buttons, it was a very rudimentary device. It was a D-1 for a single reason: its only function was 'Digital', for digivolving. It could not 'Detect'; in other words, one couldn't see other digivices, Crests, or Tags with it. However, unlike the standard digivice, it possessed the ability to open gateways known as Digiports. It enabled the Original Digidestined to travel to and fro between the worlds. But if they got lost…well, reuniting was difficult.

And what of the standard digivice?

It is not called by its technical name - the D-2 - much, if at all. It is a curved square, with notches taken out of the corners. The turquoise shell of this digivice stood out against the small blue buttons and the black border that trimmed the screen. The D-2 possessed two functions: 'Digital' and 'Detect'. It could find and detect other digivices, unlike the D-1. However, it is incapable of opening Digiports normally; only certain circumstances will enable one to open a portal between the worlds. Such circumstances are fickle, up to the whims of whatever forces govern the Digital World. Given the common nature of the D-2, it is commonly referred to as simply a 'digivice'. After all, it is the standard version; all people with partners since the second generation of Digidestined have been given this digivice. It is, presumably, to keep normal humans from traveling to the Digital World at a whim; such power lies only in the hands of the Digidestined.

Speaking of Digidestined, the newest generation are exceptions to the rule; instead of the D-2, they were gifted with the D-3.

The D-3 possesses a curved white body with a colored grip for both identification and easier handling. A small screen was nestled on top near a stubby antenna, and the options of the device were handled with one single white button that could be clicked in various directions for different options. Digital, Detect, and the final option: 'Discover'. With this option, Digimon could be scanned, their information gathered and downloaded to a database. Upon the initial induction of Davis, Yolei, and Cody into the ranks of the Digidestined, the D-3s had already been set to send this information to Gennai's database. Izzy, after some tinkering, set the D-3s to send any scanned data to his laptop as well. However, given the amount of knowledge in Gennai's database already – and the hectic nature of the New Digidestined's initial adventures – this feature was rarely used.

But you never know what might happen in the future.

And now you know the differences between the three kinds of digivices.

_And knowing is half the battle!_

**G.I. JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOE!!!**

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To be continued…

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Author's Note: Ah, good ol' Joe.

The G.I. Joe Parodies on Youtube are funny though. :D

Back to one more Crisis chapter, then on to FFX-3!

See you soon, and please review!


	11. Fragile Body, Steady Reliability

Author's Note: Hmm. Here's another helping of Side Stories. o.o

This time, we focus on Cody…and, in particular his acquiring of the Digiegg of Reliability. Personally, that segment seemed a little too forced back then…so here's something to try and elaborate further on it.

Now…

Begin!

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Chapter 11: Fragile Body, Steady Reliability

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/**TIME**: DURING **REVISION**/

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Cody Hida had always been living up to the expectations of his father and grandfather.

His father had been a policeman, an officer of the law. His grandfather was a Kendo master, a – in all practicality – sage of life and discipline. Those two had formed the backbone of Cody's entire moral philosophy, not to mention his lifestyle. Every facet of the way he acted, thought, and behaved had been forged from their influences.

His father's death had only solidified his mannerisms. Hiroki Hida had died in the line of duty, doing what was right. He had protected his charge with his body, taking an assassin's bullet. In the face of a killer, Hiroki had surrendered his life in the pursuit of justice. It had steeled Cody's resolve to live honorably. To live a life of justice. To do right by both his father and grandfather. As a necessity, he had matured significantly. Otherwise, the pain and anguish he had felt would have overwhelmed him. And besides; he promised to never cry again. It was a promise to his father, to be strong for those he cared for. He couldn't show weakness…weakness, in body, sure. But weakness in mind, or spirit? Never.

One more factor in his quick maturity was his mother: Anna Hida. She had been devastated by the death of her husband, and now she was only a widowed mother. All she had left now were her son and father-in-law; they would both have to be strong for her. She would undoubtedly feel pressured to make sure Cody was well provided for; behaving responsibly was the least that Cody could do to make things easier.

Sure, Cody was well aware of how odd his maturity must have seemed to his fellows at school.

'_Dude, you should lighten up._'

He never did manage to keep count of how many times he had heard that.

True, he did have his friends. He had only met Yolei due to the fact that he needed someone to repair his computer, and she happened to live in the same apartment complex. It was through her that he had met Izzy, then eventually Kari and Davis. As far as friends were concerned, he had few; but that was fine by him. They may have been astonished by the idea that such a little guy could be so serious, but he didn't care (that's not to say that he didn't want them to take him seriously). In any case, despite his newfound friends, he still lived up to the expectations of his father and grandfather…or, to be more precise, the code they had followed all their lives.

Then TK came along, on the very day that everything changed.

The D-3s. The Digital World. The Digimon Emperor.

It was almost overwhelming. He tried his hardest not to show it, but it really was. Another responsibility thrust onto his shoulders: protect an alien world from a tyrant. He was just a nine-year old kid! Why in the world was he getting involved with all of this? He had enough on his plate already.

But he eventually settled, relatively quickly. Armadillomon was a lovely friend, and the advice of the older Digidestined helped ease him into his new role. The presence of Shaun and his own partner (Agumon) helped as well; since Shaun never left the Digital World, he would be able to keep the Emperor off balance.

Then Ken 'The Rocket' Ichijouji was revealed to be the Emperor. Then Ken moved to the Digital World full-time, escalating their battles to a full-scale war.

That had thrown Cody for another loop. The Emperor had already tried to exploit them earlier, by trying to turn them against Shaun. Now he was going on a full-tilt offensive against the entirety of the Digital World. Why? Why? It was almost too much to bear, that a human could be so vicious. Could he be depended upon to face such a threat? He was fully aware of his limitations…both physical and mental (the former's limits being far more severe). It would be tough, but he'd soldier on. It was hard to be so mature, so young…to handle so much with such humility and silence. But he'd been a dependable guy. He could be relied upon to be a voice of reason, to be someone who could do the right thing. Despite his limitations – and his own worries about those limitations – he had proved to be quite reliable

Then…there was the incident.

The Emperor's First Base. They were being hunted by both the Terminator Units and an artificial Digimon called Alienmon. Cody and Armadillomon had been trapped in a hangar as water was rushing in.

The cold ocean water, swarming all around him.

He was going to die.

That one instant – that one realization – had slammed into him like a sledgehammer. He was just a nine-year old kid…why was this happening? Why he was going to drown at the bottom of the ocean in some madman's base?! WHY?! All of his doubts and insecurities – long suppressed by his stern, strict mentality – bubbled to the surface, consuming him with fear and dread. He just wanted to be reliable to his friends…just like he was to both his mother and grandfather. He wanted to make them proud! He wanted to be strong for them! _**SO WHY COULDN'T HE?!?!**_

How fortunate for his grandfather's teachings. How fortunate for the reassuring words of his partner.

Cody had been able to regain his cool. He knew that he had to make it out of this situation alive.

Because people were relying on him.

In the end, he had survived. The Digiegg of Reliability, found in the surging waters, enabled him to escape via Submarimon. He lived to fight another day. Despite all the pressures of being a Digidestined, he still lived according to his philosophy. It was why it had taken so long for him to forgive Ken, or even give him a second chance after the Digimon Emperor had fallen: Ken had committed many crimes. He deserved justice. Even so, the Child of Kindness had sought to repay them for his sins in the form of help, assistance, and a comrade-in-arms.

How fitting that he had obtained the Crest of Humility. Putting aside his misgivings about Ken, putting his trust in him? That had been unfathomably hard, for one who lived a life so bound to honor and virtuous duty.

It wasn't easy, acting so old and mature, but it was something that came naturally to him. Not that he didn't enjoy having fun (well, what his older friends termed as 'fun'), but he never forgot the core of what drove him. His philosophy, born from his father and grandfather's teachings.

Perhaps that was why TK was his DNA partner. TK, as the most experienced member of the New Digidestined, had a unique responsibility of his own: to provide the background and leadership needed for his fellows, to be a guide in troubled times when the newer 'recruits' (so to speak) couldn't figure out where to go next. That, and TK had his own family troubles to deal with. Responsibility, responsibility, and more responsibility. They had similar problems, come to think about it.

In any case…

Cody Hida, even following the death of his grandfather at the hands of the Gravemon, could not allow himself to cry. He did cry…but he quickly halted his tears, as if ordering them to cease and desist before they could overwhelm him. He had promised not to cry. He had promised to be strong for his mother, for those he cared for. In a way, he promised to be reliable.

He had been reliable for so long.

It was so, so hard.

But he would soldier on nonetheless.

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Author's Note: And now, I offer you one quick drabble. Try and guess who it is.

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Chapter 10.5: Apology

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/**TIME**: BEFORE **REVISION**/

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_I should apologize._

He frowned as he walked down the sidewalk, eyes gazing up into the sky. It wasn't really his fault. It was stupid…he knew the material. He knew he was ready. But the STRESS! It was just overwhelming. All of Tokyo – nay, all of JAPAN – would be watching from afar. If he messed up, the results would be on the news all over, and he'd be mocked. It would betray the status he had earned.

_Stupid._

Grumbling, he briefly thought about his parents. Thinking about them and what they had encouraged with their self-congratulatory and adulatory behavior…what fools. MORONS! It wasn't like he asked for these gifts.

_Hmph…why should I apologize?_

He had yelled at his little brother. His little brother had yelled back. Cue a shouting match, and the slamming of a door.

_It wasn't right._

None of it should have happened. It was stress, pure and simple. And the little tyke had done a good job, doing all that he could to be recognized by their simpleton parents.

He would've gladly done away with all of the recognition that the world lauded upon him, if it meant that he'd have a normal family.

Eyes came down to the concrete as he began crossing the road, a small smile on his face. _I really should apologize…we don't even have that much to be angry at each other for anyway._ His smile grew wider. _Yep. I'll tell him I'm sorry for saying all of that mean stuff. And maybe I'll even give him some pointers on how to solve problems. No biggie!_

Then a gray Hyundai car rammed into his side.

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Sam Ichijouji never got to apologize to his little brother.

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To be continued…

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Author's Notes: Been reading back through Revision recently. The curse of a maturing writing style means that looking back at old works means you see things that could've gone there that…well, didn't (at least with regards to the Cody drabble). I can see thought processes and ideas where they should be, but aren't.

Thankfully, there's Side Stories.

Short of a full-fledged rewrite of earlier episodes (which I simply do _**NOT**_ have the time to do), this will be my way of further elaborating on earlier works.

Toodles.

See you soon, and please review!


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